Fiction Becomes Her Life
by TiffaIrishGirl
Summary: Edited and Updated! Janice, a young girl discovers that the books shes been reading were not quite fiction. Its based from the Epilogue of Book 7. A new evil will emerge, but friendship will proof valuable to their protection
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**A/N: It came to me and I had to start it, though I'm in the midst of two stories already (one is mine own so not posted here). **

**A/N 2: Also please remember most of all these characters are originally made up by J.K. Rowling. **

**All publicly recognizable characters, settings, direct quotes(entitled "quote"), etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended**

**A/N: I did a few slight "major" edits since I first posted this story...**

**Dedicated to all the readers and writers on fanfic...**

Janice Wolfe read the last line of the final page of the last book of a series her mum had given her. It was one of her favorite books of all time. This was the sixth time since her mum had finally gotten the last book that she had read it--that had only been three weeks ago. In that time frame, not only had she read the series a few times over again, but the reason for her escaping from real life for that time frame she read the book, was even more upsetting.

For the past five years...almost half of her young life, Janie had been taking care of her parents. They tried, but her mum's past job had exposed her to many chemicals that had her fighting illness after illness--mostly cancer. Janie's dad was preoccupied with trying to pay the bills including the mounting medical bills and barely had anytime, past helping here and there, to take care of both his wife and child. Luckily, Jacob was a writer, a successful one at that and they weren't living poorly. Nevertheless, they were a proud bunch and it was just them and the nurse who visited often, but to take care of Janie's mum, not the rest of the family.

In the past three weeks, her mum's long battle with cancer had taken a turn for the worst. As it was, Janie was working even harder to make sure everyone ate and the house kept cleaned. She'd been home schooled and was still continuing to do so, though now she taught herself more than not.

"Janie, love, can you get the door?" her mother's soft raspy frail voice broke into Janie's thought. The repeating sound of knocking spurred Janie into action. "I think its the nurse," her mum added.

Janie opened the door to the said nurse. A young French woman, "Bonjour Mrs. Blanchard." Janie greeted.

The woman nodded curtly, brushing instantly by Janie to her patient. Janie watched from the door of her parents' bedroom, now a sickroom with machines and wires. She knew what everything was, how everything worked and why. Making sure she did, because Janie liked to know that everything that could be done was being done for her mum.

The woman in her mum's bed barely resembled the mother who had rocked Janie to sleep after her strange nightmares, or the one who adored knitting her young daughter jumpers or...who had pulled Janie's dad and their little girl away from the house for "enrichment" trip which had included everything from camping, many trips to London, a few to Paris for 'history' and 'language' lessons. Janie's favorite book when she'd been younger had been the popular French children's book "Le Petite Prince"--she had a very bedraggled copy of both English and French versions stowed right next to the books her mum had given her.

Janie blinked back the memories and the tears focusing on her mother of now. Lately the once lively young woman couldn't even get out of bed without help. Her spry young body had been turned into an impossibly thin frail older than her years' shape. The long wavy brown hair that Janie's own hair took after was long since gone with chemotherapy and the illness itself. In its place were scarves Janie helped her mum change depending on the woman's preference...today she wore a green polka dotted one. Janie smiled half-heartedly at it.

She watched worriedly has her mum's hand shook slightly as she tried to help the nurse in whatever the woman was doing. Janie turned quickly away, practically running into the kitchen to hide her tears. She started dinner, rubbing her eyes on her sleeve, for her dad and herself. Trying to prepare the chicken, the young girl held back a chocking sob as she remembered what Doctor Meyers had said on his last home visit. Janie hadn't been allowed into the room during the visit but the doctor and her dad had come out to the living room--Janie had left her own bedroom ajar and could hear most of the conversation.

Especially when the doctor had said, "I'm sorry Jacob, but Cassandra doesn't have much longer to live. Making her as comfortable as possible is all we can do, her system is shutting down--it has been for years but now there's just too much to heal and not enough time."

Janie had watched, through tears of her own, as her father, a man never known to show tears before had bailed right there...crumpling to the sofa. Janie, unable to see her dad in such pain and not do anything, revealed herself and had run out and together they'd cried. That night they'd all slept in the master bedroom, Janie curled up carefully next to her mum as Jacob held all three of them.

A gentle touch on her shoulder brought her back to the present, realizing tears were again streaming down her face. "Love?" her father's voice had Janie turning around, burying her face into her father's chest, hugging the man tightly. "Aw my love, I won't say its all going to be alright. But with love we will get through this."

Janie shook her head yes against her father, still hugging him tightly, "I don't want to lose her dad."

Jacob rubbed his daughter's back gently, his own tears falling into her hair, "I know love, I know."

**********************

Two days later, on a crisp August night, Cassandra Wolfe took her last breath of life. Jacob and his only daughter, Janie, said their goodbyes to the person who had meant so much to both of them on a quiet Friday afternoon. It was a quiet and private affair, though Janie noticed a few people she didn't quite recognize.

They stood off to the side, their faces just as somber as everyone else. Yet they seemed different somehow, Janie couldn't place why. She committed them to memory, wondering if she would ever be able to find out the puzzle to the mystery. One woman, tall with a kind but serious face, glasses halfway down her nose like an old home study teacher Janie had had once. The woman, she thought with an almost half wonder and half hysteria, reminded Janie of Professor McGonagall, the Transfiguration Professor...later Headmistress at the school in the books her mum brought her. The woman's cat like brown golden eyes caught her looking and she looked back with a seemingly assessment. Then with a somber and sympathetic nod towards Janie, the elder woman led the small group away departing as quietly and unobtrusively as they had come.

Janie let it go and walked with her father back to their car. They were going to their favorite park today to enjoy the good memories of their loved one...in honor of her.

*************************

Neville Longbottom pulled his Muggle coat tighter about him. "It's cold for an August day," he said absently, they walked back towards where they had apparated at. He glanced at his wife, "Doing okay Hannah?"

Hannah Abbott put a protective hand over her stomach. "Yes love, I'm fine, it was sad to see such an exuberant life gone at such a young age, but a little sadness won't affect the baby, Neville."

Professor, now Headmistress McGonagall looked fondly at her two past students, now one a Professor at the school and the other the landlady at the Leaky Cauldron. "Cassie had been a wonderful student, its sad to see her die so young, especially before she had a chance to tell young Janice she was a witch."

Neville nodded gravely, tripping over his feet, but righting himself quickly, "Yes, Cassie had her choice to hide her past. And after everything with Vol---Voldermort, who would blame the woman? Many witches and wizards chose to live in the Muggle world after the battle. Of course, many came back to live as before after everything had settled down, but Cassie had written me one last time, saying she found the love of her life and was going to stay in the Muggle world. Saying she was happy and didn't want to have to explain to her new husband about her past, not while everything was still fresh from the war..."

"True Neville, I think she stayed in secret because it just became easier to do so and later maybe she even wanted to forget the past. But she had been a powerful DA member and she remembered in her last month, writing me, telling me that she believed Janice had the potential to become a very promising witch..." She paused for a moment, thoughtfully. "She also mentioned that Janice has sort of learned of our world, Cassie had a way to tell a story and make you think you found out by other means. She was very good at creating a magical veil. Apparently she's told her young Janie all about you, Harry," the elder lady nodded to the younger black hair Auror, "And all of all your adventures through a book series that Janice believes is very popular world wide and of course a work of fiction. She'd been planning on telling her young daughter what she'd really been reading, but by the girl's look today, I don't think Janice knows that truth yet."

"You mean," Harry said, with Ginny by his side. Their children were at Ron and Hermione's house, visiting their cousins, "that this poor girl is going to learn she's a witch and believe its all from a story of...fiction."

"Yes, I'm afraid so, it was a safe way for Cassie to make sure her daughter wasn't unfamiliar with the wizardry world when it was the girl's time to go to school, without explaining in detail quite yet," Minerva said quietly. "Cassie had been meaning to tell her girl the truth, especially when the girl showed signs of young unrestrained, accidental magic. However, I'm sure, with her illness and the suddenness of her death, she never got a chance to."

Harry nodded, "She's sure not going to believe the first owl you send her though," he said with a small laugh.

The small group laughed then sighed, with one last glance towards their friend's final resting spot, a loud "crack" was heard and the five disapparated from view.

**A/N: Sorry for the cliff hanger...but it is a prologue...also let me know if you like the title...I'm unsure about it right now. Thanks...next chapter will be out soon...I promise. **


	2. Lies, Fiction?, and Hurt

_**Ch 1.**_

_**Lies, Fiction, and Hurt**_

**A/N: again this chapter up to chapter five have been edited for the changes in the story I needed to do. Please enjoy. :)**

**Dedicated to Christina because she's an awesome writing buddy and a great friend, thank you dear!**

Janie wondered how her father was, he tended to lose himself in writing his books, much in the same way as Janie lost herself in reading her books. Her father's books were historical horror books, ones Janie knew she wasn't meant to read. However her dad was good at making up scary and non-scary stories more appropriate for Janie's age. Though Janie rarely heard them as her father fit the typical writer's image and lost all sense of time and surroundings while writing. He'd been writing a lot since the funeral, Janie figured it was his escape just like a boy named Harry Potter and his friends in a wizardry world was hers--she felt closer to her mother somehow when she read the tales sometimes.

She'd imagine herself going to Hogwarts with the kids from the Epilogue of the last book. She would imagine waving her wand and making her mum all better...though she knew that they didn't do that kind of magic on Muggles' diseases in Harry's world. Sometimes she would stare in the bathroom mirror and hope to see her mum's reflection but of course never could. She had some idea that perhaps getting so involved in the tales of fiction wasn't quite healthy, but she didn't stop herself. Nevertheless, one day she scared herself when she said _'Accio'_ and the charm of her mother's had appeared in her hand when she only moments before seen it across the room on her wardrobe's doorknob. She decided to pass it off as part sleepiness and part coincidence.

So after a week of pretending, she was trying to refrain not to, when she found herself staring at someone's sick idea of a joke---or so she thought---when an envelope with her address and name flew through her open window the Friday...exactly a week after she had said her goodbyes to her mum.

Her hands shaking, Janie snatched the envelope off her bedspread where it had landed. It matched the description of Harry's letter down to the waxed closing on the back. "Who could be so mean and cruel?" she wondered vaguely as she angrily tore the letter---unopened---to shreds.

She knew the townsfolk thought her parents and herself strange, especially since she had never gone to school, it made her this strange kid easy for pranks and the like...but to do this, at a time like this, hurt Janie a lot. She wasn't sure how they knew about the stories, her mum had told her that Janie was the only one who had ever read them--Cassie had known an author, she had said, who was worried how the stories would be received by the general population of children--Janie had given five plus stars on all the books.

She didn't hear the annoyed hoot from an owl as she slammed the window shut. Janie stormed out into the kitchen--angrily making sandwiches and tea for herself and her dad...their basic food for dinner and supper.

That night she had her strange dreams, she awoke in the middle of the night and decided that perhaps she should quit reading the wizardry books, at least for awhile. She dreamt she'd been riding alongside Hagrid, the Groundskeeper and Care of Magical Creatures Professor of Hogwarts, in the borrowed motorbike that Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, now Harry--the main character, owned. When they had landed in her dream...they had arrived in London at Harry Potter's, now adult, house---the grown Harry had looked very much like one of the strange people that had been standing at the funeral.

"---Yes I definitely need to take a step back from reading those books," she said to herself, though she couldn't seem to put them away for good. However, she was successful in not picking them up that day...even if she did think about them.

The day was a normal day--like all the others since her mum's death. Her dad was in his study, writing away on his book already by the time she had woken up. Considering her strange dreams, that had been early. Janie figured he'd left the room at least once during the night as his hair was damp still from a shower and he had a change of clothes.

He gave her a slight, distracted, smile of thanks when she brought some toast and tea with his usual morning apple. Not able to help herself, she turned back and gave him a half hug from behind, murmuring, "Morning," then she took his dishes from the night before off his desk and made her way to the kitchen.

She smiled when she heard a murmured, "Morning, love."

Quickly cleaning the dishes, she sat down out on the patio so she could watch the sunrise. Their family's home was a little cottage nestled near the village of Ottery St. Catchpole. She imagined the Weasley's Burrow was nestled somewhere among the gentle rolling hills surrounding her parents' yard. She remember actually screeching when she first read that bit of news...that the fiction place was near her own home.

Realizing she was thinking of the books again, she snatched her iPod from her pocket and turned the volume loud--rising from her spot and walking out into the yard she started dancing to the Celtic Woman's version of "The Butterfly"...a fast upbeat instrumental song that brought out her Irish roots from her father's side. The faint glow from the sun twinkled its rays upon the girl as she put her heart and soul into the music.

Unknown to her, the sun wasn't the only thing watching, an owl landed on a nearby tree, a letter grasped in its beak. It waited patiently as the girl danced her way through most of her Celtic Woman music. She ended by lying exhausted down on the lush green grass of the Wolfe's yard, singing along quietly, her voice lilting as is if she were back in Ireland to the song "The Soft Goodbye", silent tears falling down her face.

The owl cocked his head, looking as if he wanted to comfort the young girl. However, he was hungry and knew that new witches and wizards never appreciated owls enough to give them a tidbit. So he flew over her and shot the letter into her hand that laid palm up on the grass. Satisfied with his aim, the owl gave a hoot and flew back towards where he had come from. Looking forward to food and sleep. So preoccupied he didn't notice that the girl was angrily staring at the post he'd just dropped.

"Again?!" Janie exclaimed, glancing around the yard swiping angrily at her tears. Seeing no one to take out her anger on, she took it out on the envelope...again unopened. Tearing it into shreds worthy of a _"Monster Book"'s _damage.

She rose from the ground and stomped into the house, tossing the tiny pieces of paper into the fire place. Realizing it was already dinner time, she made sandwiches, surprised when her father arrived amidst her angrily cutting a tomato...perhaps dicing was a more appropriate word to use to what she was doing to the tomato.

"Did the tomato do something to you?" Jacob asked, his daughter, eyeing the mutilated tomato. He knew she was hurting but not exactly sure where the anger came from. Though, he supposed, people tended to be angry as well as sad after losing a loved one.

Janie looked at the tomato with disgust, tossing it in the salad she was making for supper that night. "No, just frustrated about something," she said, bringing the sandwiches and their tea over to the table. Both Janie and Jacob took a sandwich, eating in silence, each with their own thoughts.

"Hey love, so I was wondering..." Jacob paused to make sure he had his daughter's attention, when she looked up, he was struck by how much her eyes looked like Cassie's...

"Yes Dad?" Janie asked after a moment of her father seeming to have lost track of his thoughts.

"Err...yes, so I was wondering if you want to continue home-schooling or do you want me to sign you up for school," Jacob paused as if hesitant for the next part, "You could probably get into a good boarding school..."

"Don't worry about it dad, I'm going to continue home-schooling. I study well on my own," Janie murmured, afraid to leave her father behind on his own, especially so close to her mum's death. "Plus its only about a week before school starts, we wouldn't have time to look for a boarding school let alone get me prepared. I like it here."

Jacob nodded, looking slightly relieved, "We'll discuss it again after this next summer so you can decide what you want to do then."

Janie nodded, "Okay dad."

******************

Janie was watching one of her favorite movies, "I'll Be There" with Charlotte Church the next day, when she found the third envelope just sitting there in the unused fireplace. She burnt it right there.

Everyday, for the rest of the month up till almost the last night of the month...the twenty-ninth, Janie found another envelope, by the last two she was starting to wonder if she were imagining things...she found them in her wardrobe and then just sitting on her book shelf. The last one, she kept, but didn't open. She was scared to read it, but now Janie was more curious then angry, though still very frustrated and confused. That night, without finding another envelope anywhere, she went back to the one she had kept, pulling it from between the pages of the last book.

Janice Cassandra Kavanagh Wolfe

of

37 Griffith Drive

Near the Village of

Ottery St. Catchpole

Devon

Janie traced the lettering, barely feeling the tale tell emerald green ink on the parchment style paper. She carefully opened the letter... her curiosity overruling all her other emotions.

Hogwarts School

of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmistress: Minerva McGonagall

Janie read the letter, a letter she had long since memorized from a letter in the first book. The first book was a comparably short story and she had reread it many times when it first came out and many times before each book "release"...though of course, she hadn't begun reading the books until the fifth book had been released....or so her mother had said.

She felt a burst of excitement as she read she was accepted into the school she always had dreamed of going to. However, how could the letter be real? It was fiction?...right?

Suddenly she felt the weight of her mum's necklace on her neck. She reached up, rubbing the emblem of the...

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" Janie nearly screeched, her hands shaking too much to get the weighty gold necklace off her neck, so she pulled it as much as the short chain would allow her to and tried to look at the emblem. Indeed, it matched the emblems she longed since memorized...a flag of it and Gryffindor hung in her own room. "Blimey..." she murmured.

She found the attached school material requirement's list...one she'd also memorized long before. "Blimey," she unknowingly murmured again, her eyes scanning the list, noticing a few changes, figuring that was from the changes through the years of professors....she shook her head, "Why am I even taking this seriously?"

"Janie? Love?" Jacob opened the door to see his daughter looking very pale, her hands shaking as she held a piece of what looked to be parchment paper. "Ja?"

Her father's voice penetrated her confusing, exciting, troubling thoughts. She looked up into her father's blue eyes to find a loving confusion and worry in them. She knew in that one instant that her mum had never told her father anything...if there was anything to be told. She let the letter and list drop as she buried her head into her hands, overwhelmed by everything.

Jacob picked up the pieces of parchment, he read over them, and knew what his mother had told him long before Janie had been born was true. He remembered the day like it was yesterday, he'd been visiting Ireland with Cassandra...a very pregnant Cassandra and with only one touch, his family's psychic inheritance had told Janene Kavanagh Wolfe everything she needed to know.

"_You and your wife hid similar but different pasts, both will show this girl unusual in what your wife would call the Muggle world. This young unborn girl carries the Kavanagh gene, my dear Jacob, but she also carries something even beyond the Kavanagh's family imagination. Something from her mother's side that will be revealed on the summer ending of her eleventh age. You must let her go though it will be hard, for she needs to follow this path, it is in her fate...This is all I know, nothing more and nothing less."_

Janene had died soon after and Jacob had kept his family secret from Janice the only living female of the Kavanagh family left. He'd given his newborn both his mother and her mother's name because of that day though, somehow he knew she would need the strength of their memories gracing her heart as she continued on her journey she was meant to travel. Sighing, he sat heavily on the edge of the bed next to her, his arm around her shoulders.

"My dear Janice," he murmured, his Irish brogue coming strong though he'd spent more than half his life right here in this cottage in England with his parents. "I do not know exactly what this all means, but I have something to tell you as well that might, in some strange way help you understand this better."

Hence, he began his tale of Kavanagh family history...the first born female of every generation of the Kavanagh family held psychic abilities. Some, through the years, was powerful, others were just vague but accurate predictions and deja vu. "My mother, your grandmother, whom you are named after, was the only female of her generation, I carry her name through mine as you do yours. We don't believe its really in the name, but it is a matter of pride saying this is a Kavanagh inheritance," he stopped, realizing his daughter sat awfully quiet next to him. He gently placed his hand beneath her chin and rose her tear filled eyes to his. "Oh my Love, I am sorry to keep the secret, but I wanted to wait, to make sure you were ready to handle the information. I should have realized that you have been ready, you are an old soul in a young child's body, and I should have told your mother." He told of his mother's prediction when Janice still had been in her mother's womb. "So you see, I believe that somehow, this is real. I can't explain it love, but I think you will slowly find out what you need to know...what you possibly should have learned long ago."

Janie's stomach burned with the pain of hurt and distrust. "She lied to me all this time...you lied to me. You lied to each other!" She knew her voice was reaching high levels but anger...anger that was safer then the pain, boiled deep inside of her, needing release, and the safest way was yelling. "You two knew how I felt, you bloody..."

"Janice!"

"Don't Janice me!!!!" she screamed, propelling herself across the room, tearing off her necklace and throwing it at her father who caught it expertly in his hands. "You two KNEW what I went through, the nightmares I had of places unknown, things seemingly so real but yet in those...THOSE"--she pointed back at the now offensive objects. "Those books, my nightmares were a work of fiction..." the last word broke out in a sob and unable to handle anymore, Janie ran out of the room, out the door and past where she had danced her soul out only a few days before. She ran, barefoot, until she reached the pond that laid amongst the hills. Sitting on a rock she knew well from the past, she folded up her legs, laid her head on her knees and hugged herself into a tight sobbing ball of pain.


	3. Accepting Fiction as Fact?

**Ch. 2**

**Accepting (Slowly) Fiction as Fact**

**______________________________________________________________________**

**A/N: As you might have read, I've updated this story. In Cassie's letter to her daughter is a better explanation as to how these books came about and why Janie has such an obvious picture of the characters--real people to her, in her head.**

A quiet hoot near her left shoulder interrupted Janice's quiet sobs. She looked up to find a snow white owl with calm intelligent eyes near her face. In the owl's beak, she held a piece of parchment and a pouch.

She took the parchment and pouch from the owl, opening the pouch to find a quill and ink. At the top of the parchment there was a small note...

_Ms. Janice Cassandra Kavanagh Wolfe,_

_If you remember we need a reply to your enrollment letter by owl by the 31st of July, obviously considering circumstances of you not receiving your letter till mid-August, for reasons we'll explain later, we have moved the date to the 31st of August, please be prompt. If you will sign this letter with the date followed by a yes or no. This shall be a sufficient enough reply. _

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Headmistress Minerva McGonagall_

Janie hesitated, her quill shaking as she realized what this might mean. Her accepting to go to a school she thought fiction for the past few years.

The owl gave an impatient hoot and even gave a tiny peck on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said, frustrated. "Do you realize what this means? That I'm accepting my mother told me a lie, but at the same time somehow told the truth. How do I accept this?" she asked the owl helplessly, not really expecting an answer but wishing it would talk.

Cocking its head, it merely gave a peck on her shoulder again.

"Blimey," she murmured and shakily signed her full name, with the date...and a "yes".

Trying to remember how owl posts worked in the books, she tied the parchment in a roll, giving it to the owl. "Please send this back to Prof...Headmistress McGonagall, with haste, to the Headmaster room of Hogwarts." The owl pecked at her hand as if reminding Janie she already knew of where she was to return to.

"Sorry," Janie said, rubbing her hand as she watched the owl fly off. She wondered what it would bring, her brain, though she'd accepted the enrollment, still couldn't get quite around the fact that Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger were real people, as was all the other characters and creatures in the books. ----And she was apparently part of it, as her mother had once been.

Noticing that it was getting dark, she reluctantly made her way back towards the house. She went through the back door, to find her father waiting in the kitchen for her. He looked up, his face pale. She ignored him and went directly to her room. Janie pulled out her books...all of them, and opened them up.

What she found surprised her, the pages were empty--she frantically looked through every book and found nothing, except for one...the last page of the last book. In the place of the words she had read many times...words that she supposed had yet to happen considering all she was finding out...Where had those words come from, Janie wondered, slightly distracted by the thought? Had her mother written the words, taking news of her past life, and concluding what she could into a believable end to the stories she had made?

The last page now held a letter, in her mother's script...

_My Love Janie--_

Janie traced her fingers over the ink. Her mother had written in quill pen from her youth, the page was now a parchment.

_I am truly and forever sorry that you've had to find out about who you are through this way, and not by the truth coming from me personally. For if you are reading this particular note, my cancer has won and I hadn't told you the truth before it did. _

A tear fell on the parchment, Janie rubbed at her eyes. She gathered the book close to her and scooted into the corner of her bed, sitting against the headboard. She opened the book back up to the page where her mother's last letter to her was written.

_As you've probably figured, though maybe not quite gotten around. I've had these books developed through my thoughts and memories for you to read in words--think of the Pensieve I've told you about--and you have what I've done in the books. Its a magic not much in our world knows. You not only read my memories, you saw them, in such great detail that you no doubt have an exact picture of what the characters--my friends, professors, death eaters and others look like._

_I obviously left out my part in the tales because then you would have wondered. I was going to tell you after you read the first book, then the second, then the third...and so on and so on...until I decided to wait until this year, the year you would be going to the school you've read so much about. It wasn't until the doctor came and told us the final news that I had finally gotten up the courage to tell you the truth. I am sorry my dear for taking so long, but accepting the truth of your heritage would mean changing our family's way of life...maybe not fully, but I was scared. Obviously I remained scared as you are reading this letter instead of having heard it from my own voice._

_These stories had a spell on them...when you found your truth, they would be hidden. I know how Harry Potter feels about his very known life and I don't want the books to accidentally get into another's hands. You've learned the whole truth of Hogwarts and my time there. Some is written from news, most because I was part of the Dumbledore Army and I guess technically the Order of Phoenix. Some of the more private things I felt through Harry...I have this uncanny ability to read people's thoughts and feelings---though never was able to read your father's thoughts--_

Janie choked on a half laugh, half sob. Both her parents had given her psychic abilities...and yet she had never been able to know the truth from either of them.

_In the charm of your necklace there is a key to my chest--located in the attic, I had as a child at Hogwarts. I wish for you to use it...in it you'll find newspapers from both the Daily Prophet and the Quibbler, photo albums from that time frame--yes wizardry photo albums--and even my old wand and other supplies. _

_You do have a decent amount of money in Gringotts...I'm a muggle born. Nevertheless, I did exchange Muggle money into wizardry money through my years because I knew after your first young accidental bit of magic, you would be on Hogwarts magical list and you would be invited to join their School of Witchcraft and Wizardry when it became your time. Spend wisely at Diagon Alley but do visit George's and, now, Ron's shop...I've snuck a visit there a few times myself._

Janie smiled sadly, now she know where her mum had gone during their trips to London when the woman wasn't with her family...Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is probably the place where her mother had gotten all of her card tricks, Janie thought, remembering the Weasley's had sold muggle magic jokes as well as their usual.

_I am sorry again for keeping this from you, my love. Please forgive your mother for being merely a human (who is also a witch) and being scared of how my news would be received. Though, perhaps I should have trusted both you and your father more, I can only say I'm afraid of change. I left the magical world behind after everything that had happened. _

_Perhaps one day you'll learn my side of the story. Harry knows of my abilities, I used them sometimes during the fight, and accidentally used them in reading Harry's mind and feelings...addressing him about it a few times to make him realize what I was doing. No one, except the Headmistress knows exactly how I've told you the story over the years, so please keep it to yourself. Nevertheless, remember everything you've read my love, it will help you prepare better than Hermione herself for school and your new life._

_I wish you luck and heart my dear Janie. Know I love you. Please remember this. I know you're angry with me, but I do love you, with all my heart._

_Your Mother with Love,_

_Cassandra Wolfe_

Janie read the letter twice, realizing that yes she was still mad with her mother, and perhaps would be for awhile. However she would follow all of her mother's advice in the letter...Hogwarts would be a whole new world for her, and she would be starting school in less then two days---

A loud noise outside her window interrupted her thoughts. She looked outside only to see a strangely familiar looking motorbike in her parent's yard.

Knocking from the front door had her running outside her room just as her father called, "Err...Janie, perhaps you should..." she arrived to find a very large being taking up half her family's front room. The large curly black hair--slightly gray streaked now and bearded man could be no other than...

"Hagrid?" Janie whispered, her voice filled with a quiet wonder. She looked up into the burly face that held kind eyes and wanted to hug the half giant. Only the fact that fiction was becoming her life, proof in the flesh of a half giant professor, held her back from running into him and sobbing her heart out.

"At your service, Ms. Wolfe," Hagrid murmured, giving a slight bow. "Hallo there Mr. Wolfe--"

"Jacob please," Jacob murmured quietly, almost as shock as his daughter was.

"Yes, well then Jacob, I've come to escort young Janice to Diagon Alley and then Platform 9 3/4s. With the circumstances as they are--sorry about your lost, Cassie was loved by everyone at Hogwarts--we have a tight schedule for Janie to get prepared for the train ride and her first year at Hogwarts," Hagrid said, his brogue just as strong as Janie had always imagined.

"I have to pack...and...err," she stuttered over her words, she turned around quickly, yelling over her shoulder, "I'll be down in a bit--Dad can you get Hagrid some tea?" she added as an afterthought before running into her room, grabbing her charm, then up the stairs into the attic.

"Well, at least, she talked to me...sort of," Jacob murmured, he looked up at the large man. "Do you have any clue what is going on, besides the fact that my daughter and I just found out she is a witch...my late wife was a witch...and everything in my life is changing?" He asked, not expecting an answer, as he walked them into the kitchen. Hagrid stood outside the door, as the kitchen was a small space, and took the cup of tea as Jacob walked back into the front room.

"Minerva," Hagrid started. "Or rather the Headmistress, has informed some of us professors that Janie--though born, technically, to a witch mother-- has only just found out she's a witch herself. I have been told a little bit more in detail--that she's read about her mum's history, in a way, through a series of books, her mum created using magic. Janie has believed, up till this very day, that she was reading fiction--she might know a bit more about the wizardry world then even those raised in a wizardry family."

Jacob sighed and slumped into the sofa. Hagrid watched sadly as the man's shoulders slumped as he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, pressing his face into his hands. "She's found out another secret, from my side of the family, put together with this one, could become quite a combination. I know I have to let her go, my mother told me I would need to--"

"Was your mother a witch?" Hagrid wondered, trying to remember any Wolfes who had passed through the school in the past, but then realized his mother's name wouldn't be the same as Jacob's, most likely.

"No, but she was a psychic--" Jacob ignored Hagrid's gasp, his face still buried in his hands. "I don't know to what degree but I know Janie has it as well."

Hagrid remembered Cassie and her unique abilities while at the school. Considering the way the man was talking, Hagrid could surmise that Jacob didn't know of his wife's side. He wondered if Minerva knew. Janice was going to be one to watch over through her years, Hagrid would make sure she was protected.

"I know this is bad timing with everything that has gone on, but don't you worry...we'll take real good care of your daughter at Hogwarts. Its the safest place in the magical world--" he kind of sighed at that, thinking of the one time it hadn't been the safest place. "Tonight I'll take her by motorbike," Hagrid didn't think it would be pertinent to tell the man, the bike would be flying. "...to London. We'll be staying in an inn run by a Professor's wife. Tomorrow morning I'll take her to Diagon Alley so she can buy her wizardry supplies, then the next day I'll make sure she's on time for the train to the school."

The man on the sofa had waves of sadness rolling off of him and Hagrid was helpless to help him. So, he carefully placed his hand on the man's shoulders, "Janie will be able to communicate with you. As part of the wizardry world through Janie, you will continue to be on the owl network. You can send her letters and gifts through the owls or even by regular post. She'll be able to do so back to you as well..."

"If she ever accepts and learns her inheritance from my family's side, we'll be able to communicate through other means. The males and none first born females in our family have the ability to communicate with family members through ESP. But both minds have to be open to the communication and I haven't done it in awhile," Jacob murmured, unrealising that he was surprising even Hagrid--a man who'd seen many strange things in his life, with this bit of additional news. "She's not going to be open to communicating with me anytime soon...if ever," Jacob's voice was filled with pain.

"Fiddlesticks, she might be overwhelmed and shock. But we've had wizards and witches before who were born into a magical family, never having known it...especially recently. They are hurt at the secrets they've been kept from but soon they get past it, for the love of their families is stronger than any of the hurt. Love is always strong, even through the pain, remember that Mr. Wolfe, and you and Janie will learn to find happiness again. Just remain there for her, even if she pushes you away."

Jacob looked up into the kind man's eyes, "Why...thank you Mr..."

"Its just Hagrid, and its the truth, I'll keep an eye out for her, don't you worry," Hagrid added, slightly embarrassed at his little speech. "I'm sorry you folks don't have more time to settle this in person, but perhaps some time for her to figure out who she is will help Janie understand a little more about both of you and your wife's reasons behind why you did what you did."

Nodding, Jacob rose, "I need to go get a book for her, she'll be able to learn her mum's side a little more at your school, but she needs to know her whole heritage."

Hagrid nodded, eyeing the still photographs above the fireplace with interest. He always found it strange to see photos of Muggles...none of them moved...ever!

******************

While Hagrid and her father were talking downstairs, Janie was up in the attic. Having opened her mother's, now her trunk, she was seeing even more proof that the fiction world of her books existed. First there was her mother's wand, thinking of what happened when a witch picked up a wand not meant for her, she decided she wouldn't try--just in case. She found cloaks and hats, her fingers brushed them in awe but again she decided she'd look more closely at them later. She glanced at Daily Prophet after Daily Prophet, amazed that the articles she had read in her books were now here...in the actual newspaper they had come from---with the moving photos! She almost cried when she saw a glimpse of Sirius's picture in the one that announced he'd escaped from Azkaban. She did cry when she saw Dumbledore in one of the last photos taken of him. She cried even harder when she arrived to one of the first Daily Prophets in the neat stack...there was Harry Potter's family--she felt the pain of knowing that these people actually had existed, that they actually had died protecting one boy they had loved dearly.

Vaguely realizing that her parents loved her just as much, but still feeling the hurt, she repacked the trunk, then dragged it down the stairs to her room... She carefully packed the charm necklace into the pouch from the owl post earlier, then put it, the Potter Books with their empty pages, Le Petit Prince---she truly hoped this was still a tale of fiction--, a few clothes, and a couple of other things into the trunk. Then dragged it out to where Hagrid stood in the front room alone. "I'm ready," she said, "Where did my dad go?"

"He said he needed to get you something," Hagrid answered, looking down at her trunk intently, smiling. "That's your mum's!" he exclaimed, easily taking the trunk from her grasp. "I hope you packed a coat, its quite chilly out there."

She nodded just as her father came in. The air in the room was awkward and tense as father and daughter looked at each other. Each paused, looking at one another with sadness in their eyes. Jacob was the first to speak, he pushed the books he held into Janie's hand, "One holds a diary of the Kavanagh's family...err history and the other is a photo album...to remember the good memories. Your mum made it before she died, I haven't opened it," Jacob stood there, now empty-handed as Janie pushed the books into her slowly filling trunk. She straightened and he found himself looking at his young girl, not able to belief that she was about to leave him till at least the Christmas holidays. "Well right then, I guess you better be going, London is far off."

Janie nodded, then succumbed to the need to hug her father. "I love you dad. I do," she said, her voice muffled in his shirt. "I'm still mad and I have a lot to work through. But know I love you," she murmured quietly. Hagrid, always the emotional one, wiped a tear from under his eye as he tried to stand unobtrusively to the side.

"I love you too Janie lass. I know you love me too and I know you have reasons to be quite mad. Please, though when you get the time, send me a letter now and then to let me know you're okay. I've read those books of yours and the wizardry world can be quite scary sometimes, it seems," Jacob pulled away out of the hug, a slight hesitant half smile on his face as he held her away at arms length. "I'm sure you'll do well."

"Thanks Dad and I'll write, I promise. Just give me a little time to settle in, okay," Janie assured her dad.

Giving a little laugh, Jacob leaned in and gave his daughter a peck on her cheek. "I wish you well Janie."

"Keep busy in your writing Dad and make sure you eat," Janie said with a small smile of her own. Her anger put to the back burner for the moment.

"Err...Excuse me, but we really do need to be going," Hagrid broke into the scene hesitantly.

"Right, go on then, keep her safe Hagrid," Jacob said, literally taking a step back and letting his baby go.

"I will Mr. Wolfe, I promise," Hagrid assured the man and with that he easily lifted up the girl's trunk. "Well come on Janie, its time for us to get a move on. You'll need your rest, the next few days are going to be quite busy ones."

With one last look back at her father, who'd sat down with a dejected look of sadness on his face--though he tried to smile, Janie grabbed her coat and followed the big man out the door--she smiled when she felt her Ipod in her pocket.

The cold air hit them, Janie tightened her coat around her, watching as Hagrid stuffed the trunk into the sidecar. Somehow the man managed to do so and still gave her room to sit. She walked towards the motorbike, almost in awe. Realizing this was the very bike that had been owned by Sirius, then Harry...the one that had allowed Hagrid to assure Harry's safe arrival at Privet Drive and then later escaping it...barely. "Its been repaired right?" she asked, not knowing what else to say.

"What?" Hagrid asked, confused, then remembering what McGonagall had told him about her knowing more than most, he nodded his big head. "Of course, of course, its a perfectly safe mode of transportation. Harry still prefers brooms so he's let me borrow it indefinitely."

Janie nodded and climbed in as Hagrid got on. With a rumbled growl, the engine groaned to a start, making Janie wonder if it really had been repaired. She didn't have anytime to say anything because all of a sudden they were moving and she was viewing the house she grew up in from the air.

"Hagrid, does the Weasley's actually live around here?" She asked after she caught her breath...and secretly pinching herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Biting back an ouch at the successful pain, she looked around in awe at the world far below. It was hard to believe she was so far in the air, flying above the world, in a magical motorbike with Hagrid as the driver.

Trying to get use to all Janice knew but didn't know, Hagrid said, "Yes, they do, in fact your mother chose the spot because she always held a special fondness for the Burrow. She had apparently kept in contact through the wizardry world through them, Arthur and Molly will be able to tell you more. Ron as well. She's also sent owls to me, Minerva...err excuse me McGonagall, and Harry through the years. She was there for Harry's young Albus's birth, apparently she was pregnant with you at the time and feeling home sick. Other than that, though, we didn't know much about your mum once she made the Muggle world her home."

Janice nodded, she had a lot to learn about her mum and she was tired just thinking of it.


	4. Diagon Alley and Accepting Fiction

_**Chapter 3**_

_**Diagon Alley and Meeting Fiction**_

_**______________________________________________________________________**_

She sadly had slept a lot of the ride to London, waking just in time to peak over the sidecar and see Big Ben's clock face go by swiftly as they slowly descended through the London's skyline. Looking past Big Ben, she saw London's Eye and smiled sadly at remembering the trips to ride it with her mum. Her Dad had stayed on firm ground each time while his two girls had enjoyed the views from high above the earth. They'd ridden it seventeen times one year alone.

"You awake Ms. Wolfe?" Hagrid asked, raising his voice to be heard over the wind. He had laid a blanket over her sometime during the ride and she snuggled it closer to her as she sat up.

"Yes Hagrid," she replied, noticing they were getting close to Charing Cross Road where the Leaky Cauldron was located. She glanced over the edge of the sidecar as they landed on the quiet street. "I see now why you picked me up at such an hour," she murmured, amazed at the absolute lack of people on the street.

"Yes Harry has let me know that flying motorbikes with half-giants on them is probably not a normal Muggle site," Hagrid mused, coming to a stop in front of the Leaky Cauldron.

She couldn't believe she'd passed by it, knowing through her books that it was here, and not have seen it...ever before until now. "Yes he's most likely right," Janie agreed, stiffly rising, giving a little screech when Hagrid lifted her easily out of the sidecar and gently onto the road. He lifted the trunk out and then guided her to the front door. A blonde hair pregnant woman opened before he even knocked, Janie recognized her from the group at the funeral.

"Oh Hagrid, its you! I was wondering what that noise was, the little one is keeping me up," she rubbed a maternal hand over her night robe. She looked down to the girl next to the big man, she looked extra tiny next to Hagrid. Hannah thought it weird that some days it seemed just like yesterday she was Janice's age. "You must be Janice! Come in! Come in! Professor McGonagall sent a Patronus to Neville to let him know that you had said yes and you would be arriving tonight. Room 11 is ready for you Janice, Hagrid could you take her trunk up there for her while I get her some tea..."

"Excuse me, Mrs. Longbottom--"

"Hannah please--"

"Oh...errr..."

"Everything alright Hannah--oh hi there Hagrid," Neville, different then how she imagined, though she figured that was from the fact he was nineteen years older. He still had the lot of hair that laid in a disarray around his face, reminding him of her father's. His eyes still held a kind of occupied look but she thought it sweet when he put a reassuring hand on his wife's shoulder. "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, Ms. Wolfe, how was the flight?"

She followed Hagrid into the relatively quiet bar, only a lone wizard nursing a drink..fire whiskey,probably, if she remembered correctly, was there. The man ignored them and she decided to do the same. He kind of looked like some sort of scary sort of man and she definitely didn't need scary, as she was already nervous enough. "The flight was fun, and I slept most of the way...err perhaps, may I have a Butterbeer, instead of the tea?" she answered and asked in one breath, her nerves ringing.

Hannah gave a soft laugh, enjoying the young lady's blush, "Don't you worry yourself. Of course, you can have some Butterbeer."

A glass for each of them magically produced itself in front of them, Janie reached out for hers with a bit of awe. Taking a sip, she felt the warmth of the liquid seep all the way to her toes, "Thank you!"

Hagrid raised his glass in toast, "To another good year!"

They all agreed, Janie in a constant state of awe and nerves. She was surprised she was still standing upright.

Soon, though, she was in the room Harry had once stayed in. She looked out the window to the dark street below, still befuddled that she had never seen the Leaky Cauldron. She supposed, considering she never believed the spot had actually existed, she hadn't really been looking for it, overlooking the in descript building when she'd been on the usually busy street with her parents. She knew Muggles weren't able to see it, but she was born a witch...like all in the wizardry world, so she should have been able to see it. "Hmmm..?" Shrugging, she let it go.

Avoiding the talking mirror, she fell asleep quickly and thankfully dreamlessly. It had been a long day, a long week...a long month and she was ready for some restful sleep.

______________________________________________________________________

Too soon, Hagrid knocked on her door, "Wake up Janie, we have a long day of shopping ahead of us. Make sure you bring your list."

Janie, her heart racing, jumped our of bed, changed her clothes, unbraided and brushed her long curly hair then scrambled through her trunk for the list. The pouch with her Mum's charm necklace brushed her hand. Hesitating only a moment she put it on, tucking the charm under the collar of her tee shirt. She found the list, reading it over, noticing the differences of the first year book list...everything was almost the same except for with the_History of Magic _by Bathilda Bagshot, there was a _Recent History and Its Importance to Magical Society _by Hermione Potter (nee Granger). She smiled, Hermione always did like her history, Janie was looking forward to reading the book. In fact, she was thinking she probably should read it. It might give her more of an idea of what children her age knew and didn't know about the past. Even if her mum had been part of Harry Potter crew, she was pretty sure a girl her age wasn't supposed to know everything that had gone on at that time.

______________________________________________________________________

"Mum said in her letter, that I have money in...err Gringotts, but I don't have a key," Janie said as Hagrid tapped three times on the brick designated to get to Diagon Alley. She stared as the quiet surroundings of the courtyard in the back turned into a noisy alley of many shops and hundreds of people--most of whom were dressed in their wizardry garb. Her eyes couldn't take in everything fast enough, she barely heard Hagrid when he patted his chest and let her know he had the key to her family's vault.

"...Arthur had it safe for your mum all this time."

Nodding, she spotted all the stores she had read about in the book, as they headed towards the tallest building on the street that housed Gringotts. Soon, after an awed Janie got a small amount of her mum's money--there was a lot more than she though possible, they were going through stores, shopping for the things she needed and a few permissible things she wanted. In the end, she only had three shops left--Ollivander's for her wand, one of the animal shops for the animal she wanted, she was thinking Eeylops Owl Emporium for the snowy owl she always wanted after reading about Hedwig. Then she wanted to stop at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Hagrid, with his large self, decided to stay out on the street saying he had something to do quickly anyway, leaving Janie to enter Ollivander's alone. When she entered, she noticed the stout man matching the Mr. Ollivander's description in her books, yet younger, stood in the middle of the room. She stared in awe at all the boxes that held magical wands of all shapes, sizes and styles.

She became aware that she wasn't the only on who was in the shop besides the shop clerk. She gasped as she spotted the black hair and green eyes of a grown Harry and his girlfriend...wife...Ginny standing near someone Janie's own age, whom she was pretty sure was Albus Severus Potter, their middle child and considering where the last book had left off in the Epilogue, the boy would be the same age as her, hence him being here in Ollivander's about to wave about a wand. By the pile, it looked to be not the first wand the boy had tried. Janie stared at the family, quite amazed that her hero, that she had read so much about when he'd been a child and then merely a teenager, was now standing before her with Ginny Weasley...err Potter and their son!

Harry, who had only glanced her way when she entered, now seemed to become aware that she was staring. He narrowed his eyes, annoyance showing in them. She blushed, but kept her gaze, fascinated not with "the Boy who Lived" or "The Chosen One", though those things were awesome, but fascinated that he had been so brave and true to heart to make it through and become a family man with children of his own. His face suddenly changed expression, from annoyance to recognition, as a smile alighted his face and his green eyes twinkled, "Look Ginny, its Cassie's girl...Janice, I believe," Harry said coming over to her.

She nodded in acknowledgement of her name, unable to speak, to know what all this man had been through in his life--to know everything on such a personal level, of which probably many didn't know of, she suddenly realized--left her speechless until she blurted out, "Does it really not hurt anymore?" She felt her face blush.

Harry's smile remained as he brushed a hand over the scar, "No, love it doesn't. Sometimes the memories hurt but I have so much to live for, so much love in my life, that I've let the hurtful memories go, for the most part," he gave a rueful smile, Janie saw his wife give him a supportive squeeze. Janie, always able to notice emotions, saw the past fear and hurt emotions pass through the man's eyes quickly, before he gave Ginny a gentle squeeze of assurance and smiled, his eyes twinkling again. "--and only remember the happy memories with fondness. For example, even after everything, Hogwarts _was_ the first home I could truly remember," he hugged Ginny close, "...and I found love again there."

Janie nodded, her mind still racing, "Is that your son...Albus?"

Harry wondered vaguely how much this young girl had read and knew of his past, so far she seemed to know a lot for someone who just found out they were a witch. He knew what her mother had done and to a point how she had done it. Yet he didn't know how much information Cassie had given her girl, from her expression and questions, it seemed to have been a lot. Shaking his head at his wonderings, he smiled proudly, putting his hand on his son's shoulder, so happy that he got a chance to do the things his father...or mother never had...the chance that Cassie would never get to do again for her child. "Yes Janice, this is Albus, one of your classmates this year."

Albus, with his dark unruly hair and his grandmother Lily's green eyes gave a shy smile as he waved, holding another wand Ollivander had pushed into his hand. He waved the wand, causing Harry's hair to stand up straight. Janie put her hand over her mouth when she started giggling at the picture the adult Harry made.

Harry, laughing at himself, turned to face his son, "Albus, this is Janice Wolfe, her mum was a good friend of mine in school."

"Like Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione?" Albus asked, his eyes accessing Janie, as if to prove the mother's worth through her.

"Yes, Cassie, Janice's mum, was in the DA and then later the Order with us, she helped us defeat Voldermort," Harry told his son, also informing a little more to Janie about her mum.

"Cool, hey there mate. Tomorrow, on the train, all of us are going to grab an area on the train together, want to join us?" Albus asked, looking at the girl, smiling when she nodded. "Brilliant!" He returned back to the wands Ollivander kept pushing into his hand. This last one glowed and even Janie knew the boy had found his wand..and she had just found a friend.

"Finally!" Ollivander muttered, his hair had been slightly singed in the choosing process. "Now, you get a move on, all of you," he indicated to the Potters, "I need to get this young lady her wand.

The Potters said their goodbyes, Albus promising he'd see her at the Platform tomorrow. Janie waved goodbye, promised Albus she'd meet him there and then suddenly she was alone with Ollivander.

"I remember every wand my uncle and I sold--I was his apprentice when you mother came here, right after Harry had passed through here choosing his wand--holly wood and phoenix feather that was a brother of--"

"Voldermort's wand," Janie finished. "A phoenix--Albus Dumbledore's phoenix--Fawkes gave only two wands a feather each. Voldermort's and Harry's. Both wizards were/are powerful wizards and were on opposite sides of the battle. Harry's mother's love protected him when he was a baby and Harry's own penchant of love helped him through all he has faced--" She stopped suddenly, realizing maybe she had gone too far with her release of knowledge of information.

Ollivander stared at her, the room was so silent she could hear the noise from the outside, it seemed louder, here, in the tense silence then it had out there in person. Finally he spoke, "Blimey! You've been reading up on Hogwarts history, or perhaps--" Ollivander raised a finger thoughtfully then turned to a far wall grabbing a box right in the middle of the stack.

He took out the wand, "Your mum knew instantly which wand that had been meant for her. I don't expect you to, since I know your mum has lived in the Muggle world for quite some time and you seem to have just started to discover who you are."

"Mr. Ollivander, I might know a lot about the wizardry world, but I don't know anything about my mum's life in Hogwarts--well, now besides the fact she was a DA member and a member of the Order of the Phoenix and apparently a good friend of Harry's. Besides knowing she had loved me all through my life and raised me to be the girl who I am, I know nothing about her or her family before she married my father. Though she did say she was a...err...muggle born."

Ollivander seemed not to be listening to her, at least not truly, "Well my uncle knew right away that Cassandra Cameron would be--"

"Cameron?" Janie interrupted, " Was that her surname?"

"Why of course child. She was from the Cameron family, a very known pureblood family--" Janie's eyes grew wide but Ollivander continued without noticing. "Her father had been a wizard, her mum a Muggle--hmm in fact Cassie also hadn't known much about her mum, come to think of it. Though, David Cameron had said that yes, Lisa, his wife had been a muggle. Your grandfather had been good friends with my uncle until--"

He paused, his eyes growing awareness, as if he suddenly realize what he was saying, "That's not for me to tell you, young Janice." Though, now Janice even had more think about. Her mother had lied--again. "However, your mum, she was a pretty powerful witch and a smart young lady. She also was pretty sure of herself, though not cocky like her father, err not to speak badly of your grandfather," he added carefully.

She waved him on, her mind going wild. Her mum hadn't been muggle born, she was half and half--not that it matter, except again with the lies. Her grandfather had been part of a pureblood family.

"Anyhow, she walked straight over to a wall, plucked a box from a stack, waved the wand--made of Holly, like Harry's, but with a unicorn hair as its core, and immediately it glowed in response." He held up the one that he'd plucked from the stack, "This is its sister wand, the unicorn who gave the hair to your mother's wand also gave a hair to this wand. The only two wands with that particular unicorn's hair." He pulled it out of its box, held it up, inspecting as if already satisfied with his choice--he then held it out to her.

This was when it really hit her that the stories she had read over and over again were based on real life. Her mother had lived through everything, even experiencing Harry's story through her unique abilities. Abilities that Janie was very much mixed feeling on the possibility of having inherited them. Taking the wand, causing magic through her words was admitting--fully, truly, admitting that this was all real. Soon, she would be able to wave the wand with a swish and a flick, say _Wingardium Leviosa_ and there would be a floating feather, or whatever she had said the incantation on, in front of her. Not some magician's illusion but an actual feather levitating in the air--a magical incantation she had said would have caused it.

With this awareness, came the sudden realization that someone really could merely say a curse to control her every movement, or torture her, or worse...kill her.

She swallowed hard as reality--her new reality--came all crashing down on her. Trying to overpower the overwhelming feelings, she shakily put out a hand and grabbed the wand.

And though the nerves still jumbled in her stomach and the implication of what all this meant still in her head, she held the wand high and waved bravely. As she held the wand she felt a pull of rightness, a knowingness that THIS was where she was meant to be. Aware, suddenly, her eyes were closed, she opened them to see that a burst of light so bright it illuminated the room came from her wand.... Her wand, of this she was sure.

"Ahhh, I though so," Ollivander said quietly, nodding with a knowing smile. "Wand has chosen his mate, the daughter of its sister's wand's owner--quite remarkable."

Janice smiled, though inside she was still trembling, "I'm really a witch," she whispered.

"Well of course you are child. You have the promise to become quite a powerful one at that. Take heed of everything you learn at Hogwarts, its a fine school for our youth," Ollivander said, shooing her out of the store on shaky unsteady legs.

Hagrid found her a few minutes later, staring at her wand, while sitting at a table out side of a cafe. He smiled fondly of the scared but excited expression on the girl's face. "Harry looked just like you the day he found out he was a wizard," he said, then set the cage he'd been holding in front of her.

In the cage held a snowy white owl, much like the one Hedwig had looked like. Janie's smile blossomed into full bloom, startling Hagrid at how much she looked like her mother.

"Harry suggested it to me, he said that you might find it a nice welcome to the wizardry world present. He was buying one for Albus as well, apparently both the owls are twins, both girls. You have Estrellita, meaning tiny star, so I'm told, and Albus has Ilona, beautiful, of the light...errr..." he had noticed she was crying, quiet tears coming out of her deep blue, almost purple eyes. Fumbling around, he found his handkerchief and handed it to her. "Do you not like her, I was going to get a tawny owl, but Harry thought you might like Estrellita because of the story you know. These owls are descendents of...," he wiped his own tear, "Hedwig, herself."

Overwhelmed with so many feelings, she couldn't say a word, but she jumped from her seat, causing the owl to give a hoot in protest. She ran into Hagrid's body, her arms barely reaching around the big man, but she hugged tightly. She felt a moment of bittersweetness when the big ole' half giant gave her a hug back, patting her back comfortingly, if slightly awkwardly. "I love her, Hagrid," she finally murmured, her face still buried against him.

He gently pushed the girl back, catching those vivid purple eyes, wiping a tear that had strayed from her face with his big hand, "You are welcome then, Janie. Harry will be happy you enjoy her as well, I'm sure. He loved Hedwig and he was happy to see this pair and glad that they both will be able to stay together most of the time at Hogwarts, growing up with his son and yourself."

Janie smiled, "Well I guess that checks her off my list, I want to visit Weasley's shop before we head back to the Leaky Cauldron."

Hagrid smiled, "Yes, most wizards and witches do."

He guided her down the street, escorting her into the joke shop. More people, young and old, were in this shop then any other in Diagon Alley. She almost squealed when she saw both George and Ron Weasley towards the front in the shop's signature magenta robes. They spotted Hagrid and hailed him over, Hagrid guided her through the crowd.

"Hallo there Hagrid," George greeted, his voice loud enough to carry over the drone of noise in the store. George looked down at Janie with a smiling, "And you must be Janice Wolfe, Cassie's daughter--Harry told us Hagrid was escorting you to the Platform tomorrow. I'm George Weasley and this here is my younger brother, Ron, we were friends of your mother's, sorry to hear of your loss."

Janie almost said, sorry to hear of yours as well but realized not only had it been almost two decades since that faithful day, but unlike Hagrid and the other professors, George and Ron probably didn't know that Janie knew a lot for a daughter of a witch who'd lived the last nineteen years in the Muggle world. "Thank you, its nice to meet you too," she said as she shook each man's hand. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hagrid eyeing her.

"I should tell you Janie, that the Weasley's know your unique story as well, like I said Arthur and Molly Weasley have been her connection to the wizardry world for the past nineteen years. She actually asked Molly if what she wanted to do was a good idea. Molly might not have been exactly sure of its benefits, but she helped your mother in anyway she could," Hagrid said.

Janie blushed, "Well Blimey!"

They all gave a soft awkward laugh, then George and Ron gave Janie a tour. In the end, she bought some interesting things, her favorite, a Pygmy Puff, a nice mix of green and purple, her two favorite colors. She walked out, having made friends with Rose, Albus already having told Ron and Hermione's eldest about their plan tomorrow.

"Of course you're to be part of DAC--Dumbledore's Army's Children--" Rose had said excitedly as they had looked through the Muggle magic tricks, Janie recognizing a few that her mom had indeed bought from the shop. "I'm excited to have another female, there's so many males in this year's group. "Fred, Uncle George and Aunt Angelina's son is also a first year this year...that makes us close to equal, Louis, Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur's youngest, is also a first year, so its three boys and now two girls." Rose had also bought a Pygmy Puff, hers a solid green color.

Janie felt happier than she had in a long time. The sadness and hurt was in a back corner for awhile as she and Hagrid walked their way back to the Leaky Cauldron.

"I love Magic!" Janie quoted Harry from one of the first books she read.

Hagrid gave a hearty laugh, "We're a pretty good group of people. We have our troubles as you know. I love being a Professor of Hogwarts and seeing all of you grow up and become a part of this world. Since Voldermort's death we've had very few troubles. The few we have had-- Harry and Ron, and the other Aurors out there have taken care of them."

Janie ignored, for now, the uneasy feeling that perhaps the magical world was going to have another major disruption of their happiness. Ignoring the vision of a brown hair man with purple eyes, looking vaguely like her mother and therefore Janie herself.

She was too happy to let the nightmares come into her day.


	5. The Wolf Patronus

**Ch.4.  
The Wolf Patronus**

That night Janie could barely sleep. Her mind was racing with all her thoughts. She was so excited and nervous that she even wrote a letter to her dad. She got out her new ink, quill and parchment paper.

_Dad_

_Hey there! I'm still at the Leaky Cauldron. I thought I would introduce you to Estrellita--the snow owl who will deliver this to you. She's a real sweet owl and has a twin sister owned by none other than Harry's middle son, Albus Severus._

_I met Harry, Ginny and Albus today while getting my wand. Albus invited me to join his friends on the train--_

She paused in her writing. Janie was suddenly aware that Albus and Rose were going to be her first real friends--if everything worked out between them of course. But it was even the first promising friendship she had ever had. She had never fit in with the few neighbors her family had, not with everyone thinking she was some weirdo for being home-schooled.

_I also met George and Ron Weasley and Ron's eldest, Rose, who is also a first year. We had fun in the joke shop the Weasley's own. Rose told me there was a club for Dumbledore's Army's Children--Mum was part of the DA. You said you had read the books so you know what that means._

_I'm learning so much, already, Dad. Good exciting things and some not so good--_

She thought of the fact that her mother had tried hiding from Janie who her grandfather had been.

_Tomorrow I go to Hogwarts on the train. Hagrid is going to have me go with Neville to the platform where I'll meet with Albus and Rose. Hagrid has realized he needed to prepare the boats and carriages for us students._

_Write a letter back, Estrellita...or Lita as I like to call her, will bring it back._

_With Love_

_Janie_

"To my home, Lita," Janie murmured, giving the address to the owl, who the girl had quite fallen in love with already. She watched as the owl flew out into the evening air. Charing Cross was a little more busy, the setting sun casting a glow over the Muggles on the street.

Janie stared out at the Muggles for awhile, her mind wondering from thought to thought. Soon evening's dusk settled on the slowly quieting street below. She lit a candle and began reading the book by Hermione she'd brought for school earlier that day. Below that book in her stack was a book that Hermione had quoted a lot in the HP books..."Hogwarts, A History". It wasn't required at the school but Janie had to pick up the copy when she had seen it, unable to resist, though knowing many copies were at the school itself.

Settling in her bed, her window left open to allow Lita back in, Janie began reading the book she already knew much about. Soon, though, from her eventful day and lack of sleep the night before she fell asleep, the book slumped beside her--a moving photo of a picture of Dumbledore's Army in the page she had been reading--her mum standing amongst them.

A few hours later, Lita woke Janie up as she came to a landing on an owl perch by the bed.

Lita cooed in owl tongue when Janie gave her an owl treat. Lita ruffled her feathers then started cleaning the already crisp white wing feathers.

Janie groggily opened the letter, seeing her father's "amazingly neat for a man's", her mum had said often, handwriting.

_Janie_

_I am so happy to hear that you're already making friends and not even at the school yet. I like your owl--be sure to thank Hagrid for me for getting her for you._

_Please write soon and take care._

_With Love_

_Dad_

Janie read it again, realizing she was sad and happy all at once. She was about to embark in one of her greatest dreams but so much pain and unresolved hurt dwelt in her. Tucking the letter safely in her trunk with everything else, she blew out her candle, gave Lita another owl treat and fell asleep.

Sadly her sleep wasn't as dreamless tonight as the night before.

They were in some strange place she didn't recognize, the air was cold, and she was walking by her mother. They walked quickly and her mum kept looking back, Janie felt too scared to look back. They turned a dark corner and suddenly there in front of them was the man Janie knew they'd been running from. He had dark blue eyes, almost purple like Janie's and her mum's. His brown hair lay in a disarray around his severely scarred face. His smile was triumphant and menacing--a sneer across his face. He held a wand at arms length, black robes billowing around him. "You thought," his voice almost scared Janie in and of itself. It was deep and as menacing as his smile. He gave a cackle sort of laugh. "You thought you were protecting her Cassie lass, but you can't escape me. You should know this my love." Janie stood frozen as the man aimed his wand towards her. He screamed a curse she knew, her mum stepped quickly in front of Janie, taking the torture curse head-on.

"No!!!" Jane's sleeping form squirmed in agony as her dream self watched her mum suffer under the man's curse.

Then suddenly Janie was in a different scene. The room she recognized as her parent's room from back home. Her mum was lying in her sick bed and Janie was holding her hand, sadden that her mum had to suffer so much. Then suddenly the room grew cold, an icy chillness sent shivers down to her very soul. Large shadow like creatures swarmed into the room--dementors, Janie realized with horror. She watched helplessly as her mum's life was being sucked out of her--until she remembered her wand...

Janie writhed, her body sweating and tossing in the bed, trying to escape the nightmare. Her screams waking up Neville and Hannah down the hallway.

"Oh love, listen to her," Hannah started to rise to help the dear girl, but Neville put a stopping hand on her.

"Stay here love, I'll go check on her," Neville said, easing out of bed into his house slippers, he slipped a nearby robe around his shoulders and hurried to Room eleven where Janie's screams were coming loudly through the door.

He opened the door and almost screamed in shock himself. The young girl was holding her wand and screaming "_Expecto Patronum"_ in her sleep. What had surprised Neville, as the girl was not only sleeping but also so young, was a silvery wispy large wolf was running around the room--her Patronus she had produced. Neville ducked as it came his way, then hurried over to the girl. "Janie, come on love," he gently grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly. "Come on, its just a dream," Neville said. "Janie!"

The wolf Patronus disappeared as Janie's eyes, tears streaming down them from the dream, finally blinked open. "Neville--err I mean Professor Longbottom?" She sat up, wiped at her tears furiously, and noticed her wand in her hand.

Neville glanced at it and the girl, still amazed at the sight he'd seen coming into the room. "Janie did you know that you could do a Patronus?" Neville asked, though was pretty sure of the answer.

Her body still shaking from the nightmare, Janie shook her head no. She sat up and hugged her arms around her legs. "I dreamt about the dementors attacking my mum," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "I know how to make a Patronus--my mum made a very good explanation of it...think a really good thought, the incantation and so on--but I've only read about it, and never thought any of this real until two days ago," she said, looking up at Neville only to see him sitting on the edge of her bed. She gave a little laugh, "Those books are probably the best text books there are. I've read them so much, thinking they were only fiction."

"So you're mum described how to make a Patronus?" Neville said, obviously not needing an answer. He didn't think that Professor McGonagall, herself, knew WHAT all this young girl knew. "And you've never done one before tonight?" She of course shook her head as she already had told him no, she knew he was just thinking aloud. "So what else did she tell you?" Neville finally asked, wondering if the books still existed. "Can I see the books?"

"You can, but they're blank. They became blank the day I began to believe the truth. She didn't want it all to get out there somehow. She didn't realize I'd basically memorize the books--she didn't know I had a tendency to do that when she thought them up. So she made things descriptive, probably for the story part of the tale." Janie said, really coming to realize that perhaps her mum had given a little too much information to a little girl in her books. "I'm mature for my age," she added, as if that would help explain everything, "Mum and Dad always have called me their old soul."

"And exactly how much did she tell you," Neville asked again, his voice patient. He wasn't mad with Cassie or Janie. He was just wondering at how much this girl...a first year, basically Muggle raised, witch knew.

Janie hesitated, but figured Neville had a right to know, "She was very detailed. You know of her err unique abilities?" She asked already knowing the answer when he nodded yes. "She apparently store a lot of information as well as using her abilities because she described, in detail, a lot of things. Like Hogwarts itself, the different classes--who taught them the different years, incantations, your DA meetings, Harry's and everyone's battles with Voldermort. She knew stuff that most people didn't know..."

She stared into Neville's eyes, seeing him in her mind's eyes...or perhaps through her mum's eyes, as a young boy. "Such that there were two possibilities for Voldermort to choose from when he hear the prophecy--he obviously chose Harry." Neville's eyes widened in surprise, he had long since before heard from Harry the prophecy and how close he'd been to being in Harry's place, though Neville doubted he would have survived the first attempt as a baby to kill him.

"I also know the three Unforgivable Curses--" she stopped suddenly, staring straight ahead, avoiding Neville's stares. Her trembling started again as the first part of her nightmare came into focus.

"Janie, what is it?" Neville asked, placing a hand on her cold fingers that hugged her arms tightly.

"Professor? Why did my mum tell me she was Muggle born and not that her father was a wizard?"

Neville had to lean into the girl to hear her quiet shaky whispered question. When he realized what she was asking, he became aware of the knowledge that the girl might know a lot about the wizardry world, a lot that even he was sure he didn't know of, but seemed to know little of her mum's part in it. "Ah, Love, I'm not sure if that's my place to tell you, for one I don't know all the facts, another, McGonagall probably wants to tell you what she can--who told you about your grandfather?"

"Mr. Ollivander, apparently his Uncle was friends with a David Cameron, my mum's father...well he was friends with the man before something happened, but like you Ollivander didn't think he should be the one to tell me," Janie looked expectantly at Neville as if he had all the answers. "In my nightmare, before the dementors, I saw a man who had my eyes and my hair do one of those curses on my mum--she'd been trying to protect me--was it something that actually happened? or was I just combining everything into one nightmarish fantasy?" Janie asked, not aware of how adult she sounded.

Neville focused his thoughts before he answered, wishing he could find a better one for this young girl, "Janie, I might not know everything about why and what you mum keeps from you. But I do know that your mum had her ways--she didn't like divination anymore that the rest of us--but she was a seer, if there ever was one--or my name is Harry Potter," he smiled as she gave a little half smile.

He hesitated before he said the rest, but with all that the girl had been through, he figured she had at least a right to at least a hint of what he knew. "I feel that she might have seen a potential danger for you later in your future--even though she didn't even know you were to be born yet, at least not in the conventional matters--she left the magical world long before she had you, as she left the day after the battle at Hogwarts. Maybe, she thought if she left the magical world behind that she could protect you at least until you found out you were a witch yourself. Perhaps she hoped the danger would have long since been gone by now and hopefully it is."

"She said she was scared in her letters, I thought because she was afraid of what the truth would mean to her family--its what she indicated in the letter. However, maybe you're right--but what would she have been scared of? Voldermort was defeated, who else was left to be scared of that you couldn't all handle?" Janie asked, again the man with her eyes flashed in her mind.

"I have my ideas Janie, but that isn't for me to tell you. I urge you to go to Professor McGonagall as soon as possible and let her know everything you know, including your nightmares," Neville said, his voice gentle but stern. He didn't want to remind Janie that her mum's dreams--so possibly hers, weren't always 'dreams' per say, as some had come true--or had been a sort of memory of the past, as if her mind had held a Pensieve. "Also if you ever feel like you're in danger somehow, let any professor know as soon as possible. Okay Janie?"

She nodded mutely.

Neville gave a nod of satisfaction. "Now that being said, the danger is past us, as far as we know. Many supporters of Voldermort have died or gone into hiding with no hints of someone trying to take the 'Dark Lord's' position. However, I again urge you to talk to Professor McGonagall about your nightmare, your Patronus charm and what Ollivander told you. She'll be able to discuss with you, better than I can, for sure, about what you need to know."

"Okay," Janie agreed again, afraid of what she would hear but wanting to know anyway. She finally met Neville's eyes again and gave a small smile as she asked, "What was my Patronus charm?"

Neville smiled as he rose from the bed and tucked Janie into it. "A wolf," the girl smiled, realizing that she had created a Patronus based off her dad's name. "She looked like a fierce protective one, too. Your mum would be so proud of you, your going to be a wonderful student--I can tell this and I have no divination powers in me whatsoever."

Janie blushed at the compliment, "Thanks, I should warn you though, I have no green thumbs."

Neville laughed at the Muggle term. "Just pay attention is all I ask. I mean, blimey!, I fainted my first year."

As she drifted off to sleep, Janie gave a soft laugh. Neville wasn't surprised when she murmured, "I know".

Neville quietly crawled back into his bed. Not surprised when his wife put her arms around him and they faced each other in the darken room. "She knows so much, yet so little, Hannah. She knows how and did a Patronus charm--in her sleep!" Neville shook his head in amazement. "She's a wickedly powerful witch, for sure. However, Cassie has told Janie so very little about her own past."

"She'll learn. And some things are going to hurt her, but she has friends and professors to be there for her. She was so excited to have met Rose and Albus. As we know, Neville, good friends are everything." Hannah said, soothing her husband's worries, laying his hand on her stomach to feel their child kicking.

"True Hannah, true."


	6. Hogwart's Express n' Predictable Sorting

**Ch 5.**

**Hogwarts' Express and Predictable Sorting**

_A/N: Again I claim no ownership to any of the Harry Potter characters used in this fanfic. Descriptions of characters have been added for the purpose of the book but is based on JK Rowling's original characters as they are the parents of the children in this book. I also claim no ownership in places or other magical objects, spells, and foods. Any characters and places not recognizable are my own--but with the Harry Potter world as written by JK Rowling, in mind. I hope you enjoy._

Though she had a rough time the night before, Janie work up smiling, excited that today was the day she would see Hogwarts. Her stomach felt like it had nervous butterflies in it as she dressed in some of her Muggle clothes. Edgy about her day and especially what house she would get in. She was supposing, possibly Ravenclaw but hoping for Gryffindor.

As she cleaned Lita's cage for travel, she idly wondered if the other students in the other houses actually desired to be in them. She supposed they must as not everyone could be in Gryffindor or Slytherin and the sorting hat takes what you want into consideration--she just couldn't see herself absolutely desiring to be in anything but Gryffindor--she really hoped that was a good sign. Then she realized with a sudden awareness, she had no idea what school her mum had been in.

"You up?" Hannah asked, her voice carrying through the door accompanying a soft knock.

"Yes Mrs. Longbottom, I'm just packing up a few things," Janie called out and wasn't surprised when Hannah opened the door.

The older woman eyed her appraisingly, "Did you go back to sleep alright enough?"

Jamie smiled, shouldering a backpack over her shoulder that held a few precious items--the two books her dad had given her, the last book that had her mother's letter in it, some trinkets, her pouch of money from Gringott's, and Hermione's book she had never gotten around to reading last night. "Yes, thank you, I think I zonked out the rest of the night."

Hannah smiled warmly, "Good, then lets get you to the platform. I remember my first day like it was yesterday, I was so nervous, but so excited too."

Janie smiled, "Aye, that's how I feel!"

"Figured," Hannah nodded, she laid a hand over her belly, giving a surprised, "Oooh!"

Janie tried not to stare, but she couldn't help it. "Is it moving?" she asked before she could help herself.

The mum-to-be beamed brightly, not at all embarrassed, "Yes, she, is. Would you like to feel her?"

Unable to resist, Janie moved forward and placed her hand gently over Hannah's stomach, the older woman guided the younger one's hands to where the baby kicked. Janie stood there, in awe, imagining what the life would be like inside...

Then, with a gentle shift of her surroundings, Janie saw a blonde hair girl...toddler...beaming up at her parents with the biggest, happiest grin Janie had ever saw.  
"Janie?"

Hannah's questioning voice brought Janie back to the present. She looked up into the older woman's eyes. "She's going to be such a happy girl to have Neville and yourself as parents," Janie said simply. It was the first time she had realized what she was seeing had been the actual future and not a hope, a dream, or something of the sort. She was scared, but hence the vision had been of one of such happiness that she found herself smiling.

Becoming aware that Janie might be speaking of more than what it seemed, Hannah found herself smiling in reply, though also feeling scared for the young girl. She remembered well what Cassie had gone through with her gift and hoped the girl would only always see happiness in the future of those around her. "Thank you love. We are extremely happy that she's coming in our lives," she said, a quiet silence in the room ensued for a moment, each person with their own thoughts. Then Hannah spotted the trunk. "Everything packed?"

"Yes Ma'am, but its heavy--" Janie warned, eyeing the stomach she had just touched.

Hannah waved her off and pulled out her wand, "That's what magic is for love."

Soon they were following her trunk--Janie carrying the Owl cage separately down the stairs into the Leaky Cauldron's bar.

Neville saw them and smiled, "Ready to go to King's Cross?" He too gave her an appraising look, but all he saw was her lingering happiness of her vision and seeing another bit of magic.

Janie nodded, too excited to speak. She couldn't believe she was actually going to Hogwarts.

"Well lets go then."

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Not too much later, they were pushing a trolley of an odd assortment of trunk, owl cage and Neville's odd assortment of packages that he had found in Diagon Alley for his class. They approached the barrier between Platform nine and ten at a steady walk. Janie trying not too hesitate. Though she'd read about it, she was still afraid she was just going to crash and cause a scene. But just as Harry had done over twenty years before, she walked through without a scratch.

Janie felt the world go right as she saw the bright dark red Hagwarts Express there before her eyes. People of all shapes and sizes streamed around her in the chaos of parents and other family members seeing their students off. She looked wildly around, seeing the Epilogue in her mind. Her mum had indeed used her seeing powers to tell Janie it. There was Draco Malfoy giving a nod to Harry Potter and---she hid a snicker--Victoire and Teddy were indeed snogging away.

Before she made her way to the Potters, she looked around, taking in everything. She hardly could believe she was here and not in some vivid part of her imagination.

"There's the Potters and Weasley's," Neville said and dragged everything over to the large group. Janie stood back in awe as everyone talked about their trips here and Hogwarts.

Rose spotted Janie from around her cousins and Uncle, "Hey there Janie!" She walked over to stand closer to the shocked and awe girl. "So are you excited to be going?"

"Oh Yes!" Janie exclaimed. She leaned in closer to the shaggy curly brown hair girl, looking much as she had imagined Hermione, and whispered, "However I am extremely nervous."

"Yeah, and my dad didn't help me any," Rose said, rolling her eyes, but smiling. "He's such a joker. Sometimes its hard to believe he's not only a successful businessman--of course it is a joke shop, but also an Auror."

Janie nodded in agreement, figuring the regular history books would have given any young wizard and witch a glimpse into this family's past. "But he did a lot to help your-- uncle in the second war," she added, almost saying "Harry".

"Oh I know, I'm proud to have him as a dad and my mum as my mum, and so on," she waved her hands about her at the group that stood around them talking about a variety of topics. She smiled and winked, "Don't tell them that though."

"Right," Janie said, smiling.

Looking satisfied, Rose moved on, "So we've got a compartment in the back of the train saved for all of us."

Janie felt her nerves start to ease a little at the word of "us". Slowly believing she possibly had some new friends. "Cool, it will be nice to meet everyone and all," she said, spotting Albus with who had to be his younger sister, Lily, who indeed looked much as Janie had imagined Ginny had at that age. Albus spotted Janie looking and waved.

Oddly she felt a blush coming as the boy walked over towards her and his cousin. She passed it off as that he looked a lot like Harry and Harry was someone she'd read so much about--and she considered the boy, now man a hero.. "Hey Janie! Rose tell you about the compartment in the back of the train?"

"Yea," she said. "Who's holding it for us?" Again she felt a flow of warmth at using that simple two letter word.

"Louis and Fred," Albus sighed. "I think you're the only person not a sibling or cousin in the group. Though you might as well be. My mum was good friends with your mum, as you know, all through school. There were in the same year. Mum says she's your godmother."

Janie tried to smile. Ginny Weasley--err Potter, was her godmother. Why did she always find that other people seem to know more about her mother and as such herself, then she did. Janie looked over at Ginny, who was smiling at Lily with a patient expression. Lily was probably begging to go with them. Janie wished she had more time to get to know Ginny in person. The said person looked up just then and gave her such a warm smile, Janie thought she was going to cry. Janie smiled shakily in return.

"Dad says your mum really helped them--had her own unique ways, uncle Ron says. But none of us kids can get out of anyone what those abilities were--Apparently they think its your disclosure as to if you tell us or not. I personally am guessing she had awesome skills at Quidditch or maybe she was a parselmouth--what else could be more important or secretive?"

Janie laughed at the Quidditch comment but at the same time becoming quite aware that her peers didn't know that her mum had been a seer--that she thought she herself was also a seer. What would they say to that bit of news? Was that why they didn't know, did the Potters and Weasleys, though her mum had apparently helped, think it a bit weird?

They'd probably would laugh, Janie decided. Knowing that divination was not a popular class among the wizardry world. Professor Umbridge's sneering questioning of Professor Trelawney came to mind.

Yes, she decided, for now she would keep it a secret. There was no reason anybody besides the professors need to know. And even then she wouldn't bring it up, unless it need to be brought up. She had enough of being the strange girl in the neighborhood. She could hide it well enough. Blimey, she'd kept it hidden from herself for just over eleven years.

"Come on everyone, the train is 'bout ready to leave," Ron Weasley yelled out, and suddenly chaos began...and the rest of Janie's life.

*********************

A few minutes later, after much confusion, everyone was sitting, talking excitedly as the train departed Platform 9 3/4s. All the kids waved enthusiastically out the windows at their relatives. Janie sat back and secretly pinched herself to assure herself she wasn't dreaming. It seemed even more real as they left the station and entered the English countryside on their way to the school that wasn't supposed to really exist.

Soon she was being introduced to everyone. The people in her class that were part of DAC--Dumbledore's Army's Children, were Albus and Rose, of course, and Fred and Louis. Fred--named for his late uncle, was, as Rose had said back in her uncle and father's joke shop, George's and Angelina's youngest child. He looked exactly as Janie was sure his namesake would have looked at that age. Bright flaming red hair that was hanging in a long style almost to his collar. His brown eyes smiled with laughter and mischief as he talked to Louis. Louis, if Janie remembered correctly from Rose's information, was Bill and Fleur's youngest child. He seemed to take after his father as his hair was just as red as his cousin's, she couldn't remember if both Bill and Fleur had blue eyes, but she was pretty sure they had and Louis's eyes were this amazing bright blue--full of laughter as he laughed at Fred's antics. Besides the difference in eye color the two cousins could have been twins themselves.

A few of the older kids of the DAC had entered during the departure from the station. Victoire, minus a Teddy who Janie was pretty sure had graduated at least a year before, if her years were correct, had entered to make sure all were there. She was Head-Girl and moved back off to check on the rest of the students. Janie barely saw a glimpse of strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes before Louis had started teasing his older sister. She'd given him a dirty look, muttering something about, being a Veela witch and what good it did if all the boys in her school were family. Then left with her other seventh year friends.

Roxanne, Fred's older sister and James came into the compartment. Roxanne's hair was just as red as her brother's, but she had blue eyes like her cousins and probably her mother's, though Janie couldn't remember what Angelina looked like for the life of her. James looked like his father but had his mother's brown eyes, his face seemed closer to Fred's than Albus's as well. They had the laughing duo of Fred and Louis stopping soon as James started joking them about what house they would be in again. "Louis you're the unknown, your mum wasn't even in Hogwarts, so you're really up in the air."

"Oh James stop it," Roxanne said, trying to push the boy out of the compartment, quite unsuccessfully. She turned to the group, "You're all most likely to get into Gryffindor, all of us are."

James, seeming satisfied that his cousin's words hadn't helped any of them, smirked and walked out of the compartment. He murmured something about can't be seen with first years.

Albus slumped in his seat next to her, "Bloody hell. That doesn't put any pressure on us or anything. 'The rest of the family is in Gryffindor'," He imitated Roxanne's voice to a tea. "So if we don't get in it..."

"Oh stop worrying about it Albus, you heard what your Dad said. The sorting hat takes your desires into consideration," Rose said, though she was fidgeting with her hands. She turned to Janie, "I heard your mum was in Gryffindor as well. Where do you want to get into?"

Sighing at finally having finding out what house her mum had been in, she was happy that the Tea Trolley witch knocked--saving Janie from having to answer. Everyone almost bought a little bit of each, excited to get their treats. Janie brought a lot of Chocolate Frogs, wanting to see what witches and wizards were included on the cards now.

Before everyone settled back in with their treats, though they did all have decent packed lunches, Janie opened her first Chocolate Frog, grabbing it before it hopped away. Inside was Harry Potter--Born July 31st,"The Chosen One", "The One Who Survived", Battled and defeated against Voldermort before he even completed his studies in school. He's now a leader among the Aurors and gives guest lectures at Defense Against the Dark Arts classes at our own Hogwarts.--She read his wizardry orders he belonged to and wasn't surprised by any of it. She was glad that it included who he'd married and who his children were.

Aware that her new friends were probably popular among the wizardry world already, she felt her shyness come on suddenly. She tucked the rest of the chocolate frogs into her small bag and brought out her lunch Mrs. Longbottom had made her with a thermos of Butterbeer. She avoided everybody's eyes, staring out the window, as she ate her delicious turkey sandwich.

Everyone else had dug out their healthier food. The excessive treat buying was because they could and to stock up for when they arrived at Hogwarts. The compartment was amazingly quiet for awhile as they all ate their meals. But soon they were talking about Hogwarts again. Off the subject of what house they might be in and instead discussing who they would have as teachers. Before they knew it though, the prefects were going around the train announcing they would be arriving at the school soon and that everyone should put on their school robes.

After that, they stared quietly out the dark windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of their school. Each were too excited to talk as the train slowed to a stop at Hogsmeade station. They exited the train, a dark sky full of stars greeting them as well as the noise of excited students. Returnees heading over to the carriages and the first years being escorted over to the boats by Hagrid.

"Dad tried to tell me that trolls took us to the school," Rose said under her breath to Janie. "Mum let me know that Hagrid, who has visit us much as children, took us in boats." She rolled her eyes, but again smiling at her father's antics. "Mum says Dad can't help himself, he's a kid at heart for his whole life."

Janie smiled. "The men in the Weasley family seem to have that knack of joking in them," she said as Louis, Albus, and Fred were all teasing three blonde girls. Apparently they were triplets, names Jenny, Joyce, and Jeanette. The boys were trying to claim they were triplets, that Louis and Fred were identical and Albus was their fraternal third. "He's the youngest," Fred said.

The girls just rolled their eyes and Janie thought she heard one of them say, "We saw the chocolate frog cards, you boys are cousins."

The little humor helped Janie forget that she was about to officially enter the world of magic. They got into the boats, Albus, Rose and herself in one, Fred, Louis and another boy--she quite believed it was Draco Malfoy's son, Scorpius, in another. The bleached blonde hair boy was quiet and sullen as the two boys with him in the boat were still going on with one joke after the other. Janie figured it was Fred and Louis's way of coping with their nerves--Because her nerves were at a all time high as they slowly approached the castle.

______________________________________________________________________

A tensed bunch of first years unloaded from the boats and made their way through a few halls, ending up standing on the other side of the Great Hall's doors. A man stood outside the doors, waiting patiently for the first years to quiet down. He wore black robes and was obviously a professor at the school. He had green eyes and sandy brown hair and an Irish brogue as he told the group of students to quiet down.

"Hello, I would like to take this moment to welcome you all to Hogwarts. Soon, as you all most likely know, you will be sorted into your houses. Each house is an honourable house to be a member of. There are four houses, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Each have their strengths and weaknesses. I hope you will continue on the tradition of helping all your fellow students whenever need be. We have grown as a school, especially in the past two decades, and with your help will only continue to grow into something more." He paused, carefully looking out at the children before him.

"Remember that good deeds will allow you to gain house points and bad ones will loose you points. Your house is your immediate family, brothers and sisters but the whole school is your family for your time here. Cousins, if you will, that you will treat with respect and courtesy. Competition is healthy, even in families, but remember all that I've told you," he nodded, then smiled, his face suddenly becoming younger and Janie suddenly realized that he probably was about the same age as Harry.

"Now all that being said, I'm Professor Finnigan," he said, his green eyes landing on Janie with a curious look, before moving on to look at everyone as a whole. "I'm your Transfiguration Professor and the Assistant Head Master of Hogwarts and again I welcome you to Hogwarts," with that announcement, the man opened the doors to the Great Hall.

Noise from within seemed to silence instantly as they entered, following who Janie now knew was Seamus Finnigan into the Great Hall. She stared in awe up at the ceiling, thousands of lit candles floating above her head, the night sky shining brightly above them in the ceiling high above. She almost laughed when she heard Rose quote her mum quietly to Albus. And suddenly she found herself facing what seemed like a million of eyes. Having never been in an actual school setting she'd never had to face a small classroom, yet alone almost an entire school of faces. She tried hard to not focus on any of them, her stomach unsettled so much she felt she might throw up right there in front of everyone.

The sorting hat begun its song, but Janie barely heard it, though she clapped when everyone else did. Then the sorting began... She hated her last name then...she would be one of the last students to be called, if not the last.

Professor Finnigan began calling the first year names with..."Jeanette Ashley." One of the triplets stepped forward nervously. The hat was placed on her head and immediately yelled out "Hufflepuff." Her two sisters followed with the same immediate result. A long list of names followed, including Scorpius Malfoy who not surprisingly ended up in Slytherin, then "Albus Potter." Janie focused on the boy as her new friend made his way to the seat.

Albus nervously sat in the chair, already chanting in his head, "Not Slytherin, not Slytherin, not Slytherin."

"Ahhh another Potter. Your brother and father have chanted the same thing to me before. It is true that you have two very great namesakes from two very great houses. Perhaps you would do well in Slytherin." Albus choked back a loud "NO!". "But like your brother, you are fully meant to be in..."Gryffindor!"

Janie clapped with everyone else as a relived looking Albus walked towards his brothers and cousins, he slumped in a chair next to his brother. He laughed at something James said and gave her a thumbs up to his cousins still in line and herself. Knowing she had awhile to go before she found out, she smiled then turned back to the stool.

What seemed like ages later, Professor Finnigan finally got to the "W's". Her nerves started really getting to her, her hands were sweating, her stomach tumbling, she was a mess as each Weasley, Fred, Louis, then Rose were all immediately put into Gryffindor. She clapped again for her friends until she found herself that she was indeed the last student of the class. All eyes were on her as she sat on the stool and Proffessor Finnigan put the sorting hat upon her head.

"Ahhhh young Cassie's girl, I was wondering if you would arrive. There is much for you to learn, isn't there child? I can see much in your brain. You know a lot about the school but not much about yourself. You are a smart girl, perhaps Ravenclaw for you. But no that isn't where you are meant to be. Hufflepuff would also be a good fit, you have worked hard in your young life and have tolerated much, but no, you would just not come to your full potential there." There was a pause...she sat wanting to fidget under the hat, knowing everyone was staring at her. Why wouldn't the hat just choose already?

"No need to hurry young Janie, these decisions must not be taken lightly, and you are a hard one," the hat paused again. "Now Slytherin, yes Slytherin has promise. It is where most of the Cameron family has come from. You mother was the first in your family to be in Gryffindor. So yes, Slytherin blood is in you. You would do well there, but no, I see that's not where you want to be. Your mother did well in Gryffindor, she was a brave young girl to expose her secret, even if only to her friends, and fight against her family. Always reminded me of young Sirius Black. Yes perhaps..."Gryffindor!""

Janie had been sitting so long, her nerves almost choking her, it took her a moment to realize that the hat had finally announced her school and everyone was clapping. Seamus picked up the hat, murmured "Glad to have you in my house, Janice, go on now, its time to eat."

Suddenly she was beaming and making her way to the house table. Her new friends were clapping the hardest as she sat next to them. "Welcome," Victoire said, her voice serious, but a smile on her face. She nodded, seemingly approving all her new housemates.

"Welcome students!" Professor McGonagall's voice carried strongly around the Great Hall. Successfully she quieted the hall full of students. "I hope you all will carry on the tradition of the excellence of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." She paused, the hall erupting in applause as everyone yelled that they would. "I would like to take this time to introduce you all to our new Potions teacher. Professor Slughorn has taken a leave of absence indefinitely. Professor Draco Malfoy will now be your new instructor. I hope everyone will join me and give a warm welcome to him as he joins our school, he is also the new head of the Slytherin House."

The said house was of course the loudest to welcome the new professor. The Gryffindor house all hid groans as they half-heartedly clapped with the rest of the school as the tall pale hair and pale face man stood and gave a small bow. He seemed to realize that he might not be welcome by the whole school and as quietly as he had stood, he sat back down. Janie glanced around at the Potter and Weasley children around her.

"Dad didn't say anything when we were leaving," James said, his voice full of contempt as he looked at the new Potions teacher.

"I saw him nod at Malfoy...err Professor Malfoy at the station, but I just thought it was acknowledgement," Janie put in. Everyone murmured in agreement but quieted down when the Slytherin table had finally gotten under control and Professor McGonagall started speaking again.

"Reminders, if students have any problems, please report to your house heads. Professor Malfoy is, as just announced, the Slytherin head. Professor Finnigan is the Gryffindor house head. Professor Aurora Sinistra is Hufflepuff's Head and Professor Flitwick is, of course, the Ravenclaw's head." Each head had stood when their name had been called, each class cheering for their head, if nothing more for the fact it was their class being named.

She went on, announcing all that was forbidden to the students then had them sing the Hogwarts Alma Mater in the traditional way, everyone choosing their own tune. Janie wasn't surprised to hear all the Weasley's singing a very good but slow version of the song, their voices combining together, they drew out the last notes the longest, causing a mixture of groans and laughter.

Professor McGonagall did her best to hide her own snicker as the song ended and the Weasley's, who had stood, using big arm motions for dramatic affect, had sat back down. "Well yes then, thank you Weasley's for that fine rendition of our school song," she knew the children had done it in remembrance and respect of their joking uncles and dad. "With that, all I have to say is: eat, relax, and enjoy."

A loud noise of appreciation swept the room as foods of all kinds appeared before them. Janie felt her stomach settle and a sudden wave of hunger swept her as she came to the realization she hadn't eaten since noon earlier. She found herself digging into the good food and talking animatedly with those around her, her excitement returning full force and nerves put on the back burner for awhile.

She was officially an Hogwarts' student. A Gryffindor house member. Which meant she was a witch. But above all else, she was slowly making good friends with a good bunch of fellow students. Janie felt excited for the year and what it all would bring.


	7. Unexpected, In Many Ways

**Ch 6.**

**Unexpected, In Many Ways**

Janie woke the next morning wide awake and freshened for the day.

Well that was until she looked over the schedule for the day:

-Double Potions (nice and early after breakfast) with Professor Mafloy. She was quite worried about that class and wanted to laugh when she saw it was nice and earlier on her first day of school. She was willing to give Malf--Professor Malfoy a chance but it would be hard to put the scary images Professor Snape had put in her head of Potions Class. She might have been on his side throughout all the books she had read, didn't mean she didn't think he probably had seemed scary, especially to first years.

-Charms (right after Potions) with Professor Flitwick. Janie couldn't believe he was still teaching. However, considering Professor McGonagall was still Headmistress, Janie guessed she shouldn't be too surprised. She hoped she liked this class.

-Herbology (after lunch break) with Professor Longbottom. That class would be interesting because one of her heroes was teaching it. Nevertheless, she hadn't lied when she had told Professor Longbottom that she was not very good at plants--not very good at all. She thought of the potted flowers her mum had brought into the house and Janie's hopeless attempt to keep them alive--and all Janie had had to do then was water the poor things.

-Astronomy (after Herbology) with Professor Sinistra. Janie might find that class interesting. She always liked astronomy.

Tomorrow she had:

-Muggle Studies with Professor (Claire) Jayden. She had no clue who that was... She was actually pretty sure the professor was new but wondered why she hadn't been introduced yesterday as a new teacher.

-Defense Against the Dark Arts (after Muggle Studies) with Professor Thomas. That name seemed familiar but she couldn't place it. Maybe she would place it when she saw the man--or woman. She shrugged and moved on, smiling as she did so.

-History of Magic (after lunch break) with (of course) Professor Binns.

She knew that was the teacher that was a ghost--quite a boring man but he had his benefits.

-Transfiguration with Professor Finnigan was her last course. She still couldn't believe Seamus Finnigan was a Professor, the Deputy Headmaster no less.

She focused back on the schedule for that day. Slightly feeling overwhelmed with all that she soon would be learning. She was glad that the four toughest courses...she felt...were split on different days.

She wished she knew more about the professors but figured she probably knew more than most of the first year students. Including some of her roommates.

Yesterday, after dinner, she'd been getting to know her roommates. Luckily, Rose was in the room with her and they had claimed beds near each other. The other girls seemed nice enough as well.

One was a full muggle born--her name was Jacqueline Whinehart. She had a slight accent--apparently her dad was from the American south. "I grew up calling my fizzy drink-"coke" for all types of fizzy drink, clear lemon drinks to Coke its self and saying y'all. My mum laughs at "her two American imports" though I was born in London and have only ever visited my family in Texas a few times in my life."

They had all laughed at that, asking how Texas was--the girls were a very curious bunch of kids.

Another girl was also a child of the Hogwarts' students who'd fought at the Battle. Though this was only what she'd been told, apparently her dad had run away from her family from what muggles would call post-traumatic stress disorder and her mum hadn't faired much better. So Carrie Lynn Wright had been raised by her muggle godmother. "My godmother had never let me know where I came from. As it comes to know, she had actually never knew what had caused two young people to be so frighten of life and to run away from their only child. She didn't know what to explain and didn't want to hurt me by explaining a lie. I only found out the details myself in a nice letter sent by Professor McGonagall."

Jackie and Carrie were both blonde hair girls. Jackie had blue eyes--apparently she looked much like her "cowboy beach bum" Dad. She had an elegant look about her even at the mere age of eleven--Janie felt frumpy next to her though looks had never mattered to Janie before. Carrie had green eyes and a slight Irish brogue. Her hair hung in tight curls around her pixie like face. Her Irish brogue was more of a lilt and like Janie she was neither plump nor rail thin--but a healthy medium that suited her to make her pretty, not beautiful, but a quiet simple but nice pretty.

The fifth girl was dark skinned, her face oval shaped with high cheekbones. She had dark, almost black eyes, that seemed old, like Janie's, an old soul. "I'm Lisbeth Crawford," she had said quietly, not giving any more information until after everyone else had given a quick background.

Janie had merely said she had been raised basically in a Muggle world though her mum had been a witch. She hated not telling the whole truth. But she told them she had heard a decent amount about the wizardry world..."My mum let me know things here and there...saw some Daily Prophets and all that." It wasn't an out and outright lie but she didn't want to explains the things she knew...and didn't know.

Lis had then said, "Like Rose I grew up knowing about our world in a full wizardry family--However, I'm adopted," they had all gasped at this. "I was actually born in the states and left on my family's doorstep of their vacation home in Jackson, Wyoming. No note was left but my parents adopted me into their family--they swear they no clue I'd be going to Hogwarts. I'm their only child and they were quite shock to learn I'd be going to their alumni."

Each girl then had discussed their acceptance letters and how they'd received them. Carrie said her godmother had thrown away the first one that had come in the mail, but when the second one had come, the godmother had apparently thought her friends were sending her a message in cold--Carrie had been shocked to read it and realize that was why she'd done that weird stuff growing up.

Rose had been happy but not surprised. Janie didn't mention all the letters she had at first though a sick joke from someone. Jackie and Lis also had been very surprised--Jackie with having now clue what it was and Lisbeth--having heard about it but not knowing she would be more like her parents then any of them had thought.

______________________________________________________________________

Now all the girls scrambled into their school uniforms. Janie was glad none of the girls seemed to be ultra feminine Jackie was the only one who seemed "girlish"--her bag for her books a bright pink. For the most part Janie felt she would have a good year with her roommates. Of course it helped that Rose was one of them. As they walked through the portrait hole she said the same thing to Janie. Janie felt a feeling of warmth spread through her. A smile was on her face when Louis, Fred, and Albus appeared through the portrait hole behind them.

"So I don't know how we did it, but we're all in the same room!" Albus said...more like yelled as way of greeting. Portraits around them plugged their ears and shushed them.

"Janie and I are as well. Our other roomies are nice too," Rose said as they began their descent to the Great Hall for breakfast.

_____________________________________________________________________

After breakfast they were heading down to their first potions' lesson for the year when a small voice interrupted the group. "Miss Janie?"

Janie looked down at where the voice had come from to find a house elf looking up with big eyes. She knelt so she was eye to eye with the elf--much to the shock of her classmates and respect of Rose--of course her mum had been the beginning witch to give the house elves respect.

"Yes?" Janie said softly, afraid the house elf would run off if she spoke too loudly. The poor thing had a quivering look about her, a pot holder on her thin bony head and a dirty dress covering her stick thin little body.

"Hi," the elf said and that was all she said for a moment. Looking kind of shock at herself for speaking at all to Janie. Janie waited patiently, silently urging the elf to speak. "I was the Cameron Family's house elf before your mum free--eeed me around the same time the great Harry Potter--" she nodded respectfully towards Albus as she said this. Albus smiled meekly in return. He respected house elves but he still found it awkward to talk with them, especially about his father.

"When Harry Potter freed--" Julie's tiny face scrunched up and tears flowed down her face as she balled out "Dobby's" name.

"Shh now Julie, Dobby's death sadden us all," Janie patted the elf as she sniffled trying to compose herself. After a bit of hesitation, Janie asked, "What have you come to tell me? Janie asked, her voice as soft and comforting as she could make it.

"Julie wanted to let the miss know that though Julie is free, Julie is here to help Miss Janie in anything she needs help on."

Janie suddenly felt very touched and it took her a moment to realize that she was still healing from losing her mum and this dear house elf was a connection to her mum--the closest connection to her at this moment. Janie surprised everyone, even Rose, when she hugged the elf to her. "Thank you Julie," she whispered, quite close to tears.

Julie patted the girl awkwardly on her back. "It's alright Miss Janie. You mum was one of the bravest witches I knew--a true Gryffindor like Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger and all the Weasleys--but like them she cried every now and then," Julie said the last in a whisper. "Young Cassie entrusted a lot to me, you can do the same Miss Janie--if you want."

"Thank you Julie--visit me in the Gryffindor tower whenever you want." Janie told the elf, aware that she finally had someone that she could openly talk to.

"Oh thank you miss--" then, promising she will, Julie disapparated with a pop.

Janie hastily wiped away her tears, avoiding her friends' gazes. She then stood back up glad to see only Rose and Albus were around. Fred and Louis were already far ahead of them.

"You alright there Janie?" Rose asked hesitantly as they made their way to the dungeons where the Potions' lesson was to be held.

"Yeah sometimes I miss my mum is all," Janie said quietly.

Rose and Albus looked at each other. Their eyes both holding worried looks for their friend. The girl had sounded as if she would cry out her very heart when she'd been with Julie.

Hesitantly Albus asked a question that was on his mind, "Your mum's name was Cameron?" Janie, who had still been avoiding her friends' gazes, turned suddenly to the boy.

"Er, yes, why do you ask?" Janie looked away again as quickly as she had looked towards them.

Now Albus's brain was going wild...he had heard rumors of the Cameron family but had never known his father and mother's friend was one of them.

"Err only because the last name seems familiar and I actually had never heard Dad or anybody say what your mum's last name is all," Albus shrugged, but he was trying to remember why the name sounded familiar.

"Oh...errr...ok," Janie said, they could say nothing more as they were walking into Potions.

Though not late they were almost the last to arrive. Fred and Louis scurried in just as Professor Draco was about to take roll call.

The triplets were in the class as was Scorpius, Professor Draco's son--Scorpius blushed and lowered in his seat when his name was called. All of her roommates--"Rose Weasley", obviously, and all the other Weasleys, as of course was Albus. Malfoy merely nodded as he rose his hand.

Of course she was last, "Janie Wolfe", Draco looked up, eyed her curiously but again merely nodded in acknowledgement. She wondered if he knew, not because McGonagall would have told him but because though not a friend of the Potters or Weasleys he had been connected to them. He wondered if she knew that her mum had told her the story of her years--his years. Did he know that Carrie had known, which meant Janie knew that Draco Malfoy--not just his father was a death eater? She also knew that Draco hadn't done the deed that he'd been assigned to do by Voldermort. That in the end Draco Malfoy had become a lesser arrogant boy--learning what it meant to be a "good" wizard...or witch the hard way.

She believed everyone deserved second chances. Snape had once been a death eater only to prove, even after much disbelieve from Harry and his friends, to be as loyal to Dumbledore and Lily, as Harry himself.

"Miss Janie what the difference between Wolfsband and monkshood?" The question was a quote from her books, but yet Professor Draco was asking her. Unlike his long ago predecessor Snape, he didn't hold a knowing smirk on his face as if expecting her to get the question wrong. Merely a curious expression of a teacher wondering how much a pupil knew about his subject. And though Janie was going to give Draco a chance, it still surprised her enough she didn't answer right away and Rose raised up her hand in eagerness to answer something she knew.

However, she did know the answer. "Nothing they're the same plant," she answered with confidence. Rose lowered her hand dejectedly while nudging Janie with a good natured elbow jab in a sign of support.

"Correct, and Miss Potter," Draco turned to Rose, this time amusement in his voice, but it was more good natured than not. "Since you were so eager to answer Miss Wolfe's question, What other name does the plant go by?"

"Aconitum, devil's helmet and other names," Rose answered, curbing her excitement.

Albus snickered at Rose who was practically jumping in her seat with happiness. The noise earned Albus a question as well, which he answered correctly with a wide grin on his face.

To everyone's surprise, at least those of who knew the Malfoy family history--at least his father's death eater ties--Draco have a smile, as if he too were humored. The smile was small and slight but it lingered in his eyes. Janie noticed though that those eyes looked tired, as if he spent many nights awake with nightmares--she understood that. "Good, now please open your books to page one hundred thirty-seven."

By the end of class, Gryffindor had received five points as well as Slytherin--Both Jane's and Scorpius' groups had a near perfect potion to help heal and relieve simple scraps on the skin.

"Well for a Slytherin Head he sure is different," Albus said as they mad their way to Charms with Professor Flitwick.

"Yea Snape never gave Gryffindor any points, I don't think," Janie agreed, to occupied with going over the potion in her head trying to figure out why it hadn't come out perfect to see her friends give each other a questioning look behind Janie's back.

"Not that Snape wasn't a good brave man," Janie added hastily at the continued silence--still not looking at her friends. "I've always respected him but...err...I've heard he didn't give many other houses points--if he had, definitely hardly any to Gryffindor. Her voice had grown hesitant as she became aware that might have been a bit much information.

"Yea Dad says the same thing," Albus said, but his voice held a question in it. Not because of the information she knew--her mum had been a witch--but it seemed as if his friend though she wasn't supposed to know that stuff. Albus mentally shook his head as they entered Charms. That's ridiculous Albus, why wouldn't she know it? Her parent had gone to school during when his had and Albus obviously knew it.

Shrugging they took their seats and began their Charms lesson. An hour or so later the class had done decently well with _Wingardium Leviosa_--Janie and Rose had done pretty well as well as Fred. Albus and Louis had a little trouble at first but succeeded by the end of the lecture.

______________________________________________________________________

Since it was a nice day they headed out towards the Quidditch pitch and sat their stuff around some trees. The boys ran around trying to capture one another while Rose and Janie talked and ate their packed lunches they'd gotten from Julie, Cameron's ex house elf, who'd apparated at their sides just when Janie had been thinking about going down to the kitchens to ask for the lunches.

They glance around as they ate, finally able to relax for a moment. It was the first time really they had a chance to since they'd arrive at Hogwarts the night before.

Other students, first years mostly, had taken advantage of the nice day and were out on the grounds eating, playing and or studying on the autumn's sunny afternoon. Janie though for the most part, Hogwarts looked well for having taken so much damage in the Battle of Hogwarts. However, since it had been twenty years ago, one would expect witches and wizards to be able to fix the damage since then.

Portraits of Cedric Diggory and others who had died during that dark time were hung in the common area just outside the Great Hall. Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley also had a spot in the Honor Room--as it was now called. Of course the portraits were in their house too. There was the picture of Dumbledore's Army with a list of names including her mum's. Janie had found it surreal to know that her mum was a major part of Hogwart's history--an honorable part.

Janie pulled her gaze away from the castle to where Hogrid's hut stood at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. She could see the pumpkin patch and the rest of Hagrid's garden. The man himself was nowhere to be seen but she supposed he probably was in the Great Hall eating with the other professors.

What she did see surprised her--in the pumpkin patch, standing with spread wings was a hippogriff. He lowered himself gracefully to the ground and curled within himself to take a nap. Janie wondered if it were Buckbeak himself, but didn't ask any of her friends.

She supposed the new ministry--well at least new to her, had uplifted the death sentence on the anima. She smiled, she had to adjust her mindset that her books were non-fiction and they had been based on history--two decades ago. Kingsley was still the minister and she liked the knowledge a good wizard was there. One who was way more open minded and action oriented then the last Minister of Magic.

An owl flew over them, distracting them all. Rose caught her package which turned out to be that day's "Daily Prophet"--"I have a subscription," Rose said at their curious glances, as she opened it. On the first page was a beautiful picture of Hogwarts it self. Almost as if they'd just taken the picture, the castle glowed in the sun and students mingled on its lawn.

'Another year from the baby boomers of our heroes from almost two decades ago have arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There's rumors that new staff will be replacing retired staff members this year. The Daily Prophet has been told that announcements of all the staff changes will be made tonight, so we will have that list tomorrow.

As always the wizardry community is excited for another year of students starting the exciting adventure of learned to become a wizard or witch! The Daily Prophet and we're sure the rest of the community we represent would like to welcome the new class of Hogwarts and wish them excellence in the seven years to come.'

The article had been written by Ginny Potter. "My mum usually sticks to Quidditch," Albus said after Rose had read it aloud. The boy's face showed a slight blush of embarrassment but also pride. "However, since James has started, she'd been doing Hogwarts' news as well."

"Better than Rita Skeeter any day," Rose said, "And I'm not just saying that because she's my aunt." They all laughed and agreed.

"I wonder what staff changes there could be that haven't been already announced?" Janie asked and the others two just shrugged.

"Looks like not much else is happening," Rose said, her nose in the paper. "A few changes in some minor muggle polices--listen to this--"

'If you come from a muggle family and have seen the proper use of muggle artifacts. You may now be able to use them. If you learn the proper magic to charge batteries--which this reporter has learned that muggles put these in a muggle electronic artifact to make them work--you are now permitted to do so. Magical operation of electronics running purely on a plug power is not permitted. Apparently this would take too much explanation to Muggles why such an artifact worked with plug power--"

"--So what does that mean?" Albus interrupted his cousin during her reading of the article. They both looked at Janie.

She smiled, pulling out her iPod, "This is like Wizarding Wireless Network except its all the music I like and no announcements of news or sales ads. I charge the battery with a plug output but I can use it without any wires. As there is no electricity in Hogwarts, except for that small display in the Muggle Studies room--I wasn't expecting to be able to use it for long once my last charge went through. But with this new policy change, if I learn how to charge the battery with magic then I can listen to it indefinitely."

The others looked confused but nodded in agreement. "I know what a battery looks like and my father has a few "battery run" artifacts but though he grew up in the muggle world he only knows slightly more than Granddad," Albus said while Rose glanced some more through the Daily Prophet. Fred and Louis had fallen asleep, napping during the break time.

"Oh--" Rose murmured in surprise. Janie glanced over her friend's should to see a picture of her own mother.

'Cassandra (nee Cameron) Wolfe at a young age of thirty-six has succumbed to a muggle illness. She leaves behind a muggle husband, Jacob Wolfe and their daughter, Janice Cassandra Wolfe--eleven years old, first year Gryffindor student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Cassandra played a vital part in Voldermort's demise as part of Dumbledore's Army and one of the brave students to stay to fight against Voldermort and Death Eaters in the Battle of Hogwarts--the twentieth anniversary is coming upon us this coming year.

Since then she's lived among the muggles with her husband and daughter. Our thoughts go out with the family and friends of this fine young woman. Another treasured member of the wizardry community sadly lost--'

Janie's tears were clogging her eyes so she couldn't read the last line of the obituary.

_"Ja Ja, I'm sorry, I love you but I've got to let go of this life," her mum had said just before her last breath. Janie had cried but she had clogged her raging emotions deep inside her, so only a few tears would come now and then. She had to be strong for her father. _

The tears were coming stronger and she realized that the quick gasps of pain were coming from her. Aware that she wasn't going to be able to hold back the flood of pain that was about to release itself there on Hogwarts' lawn full of students, Janie stumbled up--leaving all her things behind she ran blindly back into the school. Unaware a very worried Rose and Albus called after her.


End file.
